


Twelve Nights a Lady: A Sakura Haruno Tale

by WitchySkies123



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Gen, Multi, Multiple Partners, Polyamory, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 69,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26257912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchySkies123/pseuds/WitchySkies123
Summary: “Twelve Nights A Lady: A Sakura Haruno Tale”Twelve Lost Men, Twelve Mysterious Dreams. Sakura Haruno made a wish upon a star and in order to find her heart’s desire, she must save the souls of twelve strange men. As a noble lady soon to be sold to the highest bidding suitor, Sakura took a chance for her freedom instead — even if only for the night.*Smut**SakuraXAkatsuki/Kakashi/Naruto/Sasuke/Minato**SakuraXMultiple Partners*When the night is over, will they simply let the lady go?
Relationships: Akatsuki/Haruno Sakura, Deidara/Haruno Sakura, Deidara/Haruno Sakura/Sasori, Gaara/Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura/Hidan, Haruno Sakura/Namikaze Minato, Haruno Sakura/Sasori, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Madara, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 36
Kudos: 172





	1. When You Wish Upon a Star

**Author's Note:**

> Reposted from my other account. Sakura will have her hands full haha  
> Author notes are from when I wrote the chapter on other site, so it's like a diary. Hope you don't mind.

  
**Chapter One: “When You Wish Upon A Star”**

“Cinderella, Cinderella,  
Left A Cage and Came Back to Paint It Gold”  
—What Do You Really Wish For?—

………………………………………….

………………………………………….

In a castle on a hill, a noble lady was being berated by her parents. And all for giving a prince a chaste kiss. The lady frowned and quickly wiped it off her face as she pasted on a fake noble’s smile. _Wasn’t that how fairy tales were supposed to be — to find true love’s kiss?_

The lady, a woman of petite frame, brilliant green eyes and stunning long pink hair, smiled kindly at her parents — as practiced by hours of stern tutors. She snickered in her mind. “How am I suppose to find love if you will not let me show love?”

“Lady Sakura Haruno! How dare you speak to your parents like this!” Her mother gasped. “Marriage isn’t made from simple, base love. It is a partnership — one for the family and especially for a noble family. The more power that is in your hands, the higher your responsibilites will be and thus the greater value your reputation will be.” She whipped her lacy fan into her palm. “The prince will be your betrothed, we plan on that, but do not disgrace your name before then. The contracts will be written and the deal set by the next full moon. Until then, you are to remain chaste, honorable and unblemished. They must see you are the pure virgin we guaranteed to their prodigal son and I will not have you mess that up by acting like a whore!”

Her father nodded in agreement. “Sakura, you are worthless to the family if you do not marry well. All these luxuries you are priveleged to does not come from thin air. Now that you are older, you must earn your keep. You are a noble lady even if you are older than other brides. How you manage to scare your suitors is beyond me, but you are nineteen — and still unwed! If you insist on being here, you must carry your own weight.” He eyed her up and down like a cattle for sale. “Yes, if the prince doesn’t become your betrothed, then I know of other lords who will. And you are lucky in that the prince is at least your age, my dear.” The older man’s threat was clear. 

_Tch. Old man. He had already begun negotiations with his cousins it seemed. In what way was their family pure and honorable? Bloodline purity my ass._

“Yes, Father. Yes, Mother.” Sakura bowed her head to hide her disgusted gaze, but her delicately styled pink hair was pinned back with the teeth of dozens of pins and so she had to pretend to be docile lest she be thrown in her room without supper again. Now that she was of marriagable age, at least she didn’t have to worry about the whip. “I apologize for my shameful behavior.”

“Remember Sakura. You must destroy your love rival for the prince’s affections. By any means necessary, yes, but not damaging our noble name. Do not be like those harlots of the other families.”

How? The prince won’t suddenly take interest in a mouse in the corner! Other ladies are already providing him favors, as they say. I do not wish to be a harlot, but I just wanted to taste a kiss. Why is that a sin?

“…Yes, Mother.”

_One day, I will break through this glass cage and never come back…I wish._

For all her thoughts talking back, she knew the world can be cruel to a woman. An unskilled and homeless lady who couldn’t even protect herself would not survive on her own very well — the commoners who slept outside their keep’s walls were a sign of that.

Sakura shut the door behind her with her head held down.

………………………

………………………………………….

………………………………………….

  
Instead of returning to her room filled with pillows of silk and scented lavendar, she ran out the doors and into the night. She ran and ran until she couldn’t anymore — and ended upon a green hill surrounded by a million stars. And it was in this moment that she felt truly awed. Not wealth of her family or the riches of the crown, the power of the nation or the kiss of the one who will be prince.

She just wanted to run away. 

She laid upon the grass in her puffy white dress and sighed. The corset made it hard to run so she had to tear at the knot at her back, but it barely loosened. The extra fabric weighed heavy on her legs and she was sure her hair, which took hours to style, was a mess. Gazing at the stars, she wondered if this was all she was. A political tool who only use was to sit pretty, bear children and be eternally grateful or in other words, silent.

A shooting star fell — many of them. The night was so dark, so clear that she could actually see many tiny little shooting stars that would be hidden under the artificial lighting of the lamps of her kingdom. 

“Man’s creation hides true beauty…I wish I didn’t have to hide…I wish I was happy.”

“Oh? Princess? Is that official?” Suddenly a voice popped into the air and a woman clothed in blue appeared in the sky. “Hello, child, I am your fairy godmother.”

“Fairy Godmother?” Did those exist? She thought they were only in fairy tales to lure children into believing in dreams that came true.

“Yes, dear. Now then…” The woman pulled out a wand with a star that shone on top and whished it away. In an instant, her hot, puffy gown changed into a simple blue dress that she could breathe in — no tight corset. “Isn’t that better? Now, straight to business! Quick, what do you think is the task of a fairy godmother?”

Sakura couldn’t stop a smile and amused the mysterious woman. “To deliver happiness, isn’t it? I assume there would be glass shoes and princes involved. And, um, share a chaste true love’s kiss?”

“Ha! Quite funny, but not exactly so. Heh, chaste kisses. If I recall, political marriages assume you do more than kiss to produce a heir. What we like to do is provide some realism.” She floated to the grass below her and sat next to Sakura with a friendly grin. “Now, then. To be a godmother, we must search for clues — especially clues of the heart. It is to discover what you seek — but if you notice the wrong things and end up wanting the untrue thing as result, then the godmother has failed. There is never 100% accuracy. Do you wish to try, dear child?”

“…I’m not a child.”

“All are children compared to the universe. My job is to make sure you live your life instead of pass it by. Whether you find your happiness then is out of my control, however. So I shall grant you a single wish — but unlike those fairy tales, it won’t be so easy as saying it out loud and dancing in a ball.”

The Godmother lifted her finger up and a sparkle followed as she circled it in the air. “One by one, you shall enter the dreams. And if you could find their heart in the madness of their own creation, you will find a clue to what you seek.”

Sakura breathed in the cool night air and a refreshing feeling entered her heart. This was really happening.

A divine voice echoed from the stars and Sakura could only drop her jaw in an unlady fashion. “This is magic!”

The Fairy godmother chuckled. “Yes, now listen. This is important.” She patted the woman’s shoulder. “A lot of things will be magical in the coming nights.”

  
~~~~~~~  
The voice called out,  
[Wish Upon A Star spell activated. Fairy Godmother trials begin]

[You will dream a long dream, but it will hold the dream of twelve nights. When you return, not a second will pass by. 

In these dreams, you will find things inside of you that could surprise you…Pay attention to those. 

In these dreams, you can be as open to your desires as you wish. But be of open heart.

And, finally, in each dream, the spell ends at midnight. — And you will replenish anew for the next dream.

Your true love may be there or not, but regardless, by solving their entanglements of madness, you will help these poor souls. And discover a part of you sealed up until now. Heed thy warnings, pay attention and be open and you will find your way.]  
~~~~~~~

  
A strange feeling settled over Sakura. A soft warm breeze that spread across her chest. After she took it in, Sakura could only gasp and she asked, “But…Why me? I never even knew you existed before tonight.” Sakura wrapped her arms around herself. “I…do not believe I did anything of value to deserve this, fairy godmother.”

“Why anybody? Why are some princes and some paupers? Even I do not know why I was a fairy godmother, but that is not my role. I question it like you, but I make the best of it. You seemed like a nice girl and a rebellious one at that. I am a fairy godmother who happened to pass by. If you wish, we may even call it destiny, although destiny always changes.”

The fairy godmother leaned forward, Sakura caught a whiff of oak and cinammon, and her blonde hair glistened under the stars, her blue eyes twinkled. “I was once known as Ella, if you need a name. And I was in a similar position as you so I can feel for you. A beautiful doll trapped in a cage, preyed upon by the desires of men and kings. But that is in the past. Now enough about me…” She lifted her wand and the yellow star grew brighter.

Her voice echoed into the night as a great wind lifted them both into the sky. “Do you dare cross the threshold into the unknown of your desires, Sakura?”

The quiet girl became quiet and she looked into her godmother’s blue eyes. They sparkled, yes, but also held an aura she only wished she had — free, unbridled and full of love. They told of a woman who went through storms and walked on the stars and moon. And she wished she was her. This may be my only chance. 

Sakura nodded, her long pink hair finally loose from their bonds and flowing in the wind, and she said, ”Yes.”

“Then it begins…

Now.”

Tick. Tock. Chime.

Twelve Nights.  
Twelve Men.  
One chance each to wake the sleeping prince.

A soft light enveloped them both.

………………………………………….

………………………………………….

…………………………..

  
Sakura found herself in a dark castle — it was no different from her own except the marble was black not white and gold and the tiles were simpler. Quieter. Instead of the floral and over-the-top gold decor of her home, this place had black furnishings and velvet cushions, silver linings on the walls — it was the sinister equivalent of her golden cage.

And before she even took a step, a delicious thrill crawled through her down to her toes. 

For the next twelve nights, this was her battlefield and her greatest opportunity to be unbridled as she wished — if she could succeed in her mission. 

“I better find the first room.” 

Dressed in nothing but a transparent black lingerie, she walked barefoot through the cold palace. Marble statues lined the halls that added to the weight of what she was about to attempt. She was a little afraid at being alone in this dark place, but the fear slightly excited her. “This is part of Godmother’s spell. Do not be afraid and trust the process. She wouldn’t send me to the beast’s lair.” She pepped talked herself. To distract herself, Sakura studied the fabric she wore as she walked towards the second floor where the sleeping quarters should be. 

_It’s very silky. I feel like my skin is softer and body is sexy when I wear this. It’s a new feeling…I think I like this._ Sakura had never wore such scandalous things before. The dress, if you could call it that, only came mid-thigh and left little to imagination with her chest bulging out. Her pink hair only served as contract to the striking dress…and she was going to walk in the first room now.

For the first time, she felt in control, in power and desirable. Like a cheetah on the prowl — and the adrenaline was delicious. Empowering. She licked her lips and laid her fingers on the thick wooden door. Once she opens this, there would be no going back. 

No more corsets and tight shoes.

No more scowls and shame. 

No more Lady Sakura.

A tendril of thrill unfurled in her gut and she turned the handle. “I’ll see for myself.”

………………………..

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Dream One: Itachi Uchiha

As soon as Sakura opened door, she fell into a cloud. It was red and carried her away from the door that somehow held up in the night sky. She flew further and further from her only exist and soon field came into view. She was taken aback at the corpses littered across the ground and as a sheltered lady taught to abhor violence but love societial cruelty, she frowned. _Sakura, how else do you think your lands were gained? It is terrible, but don’t pretend it doesn’t exist._

Soon after, she was led to a man lying down in a barren field. He wore the white armor of a knight, but the steel was stained with blood. His helmet was missing so she could see the man’s pale face squinting in pain. His face etched with the worries of the battlefield and ebony hair trailed behind him like a curtain of shadow. 

As soon as she landed next to him, the man’s eyes flashed open, hand on hilt of his sword. Then he paused. His dark eyes took in her form. “So I am finally dying.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Why else would an angel fall from the sky?”

A blush stained her face — _I suppose jumping from a cloud would give that impression_. “I am no angel, believe me. I am a simple woman.”

“As you say, angel.”

“…” Forget it. Now…what the in the hells do I do now? I suppose it makes sense this wouldn’t be a simple evening of chatter. “Um…Do you have any last wishes?” Seriously? That was the best I could come up with? I am really playing this angel angle to death. Her blush deepened in embarrassment. Maybe she was to pretend she was an angel in order to get through the mission. But that was blasphemous! Or so her mother would say.

…But she was sent here like this, so she played along.

“Beautiful angel…If you are here to judge my sins, I will adhere to your punishment.” He didn’t move from where he lay and simply faced up to look at the clear skies. “I will accept it all.”

“Tell me.” She bent to her knees and sat beside him. She held his hand and let the blood on his hands stain her skin. Being unblemished helped no one. If I can help aid this man’s last worries, then I will kneel in mud I must. “Please, if you may care for my company. I will listen.” It was rare to see such a strong warrior so vulnerable at her knees and the moment humbled her. Knights were deemed to act honorable, but cold in order to keep uphold their kingdom’s pride and so she’s never seen a knight like this. Or any man for that matter.

“…So this is the time for confession. Very well…” The man shut his eyes solemnly. “I am but a simple warrior named Itachi Uchiha…”

The mysterious knight went on to tell his tale of how his family lost the war and he couldn’t protect his common people, the innocents in the villages. He was deemed a prodigal son whose strength moved mountains, but he family betrayed him for power and his brother was led to believe he was a traitor. He faced the dragon but didn’t see the traitors in his own court. So he was sent on a suicide quest and now left for dead.

“I fear I am too late to be saved, angel. My failure is my ignorance and at least my brother still has a place to call home. That is all that matters to me.”

“You did nothing wrong.” Sakura had to grit her teeth to stop her trembling. Hearing his story of being so used and abused to death filled her with rage. “Absolutely nothing!”

Itachi’s eyes widened a bit at her rage. “You are angry for me? A failure?”

“Any man who would give his life for his kingdom so selflessly is not a failure in the heaven’s eyes.” Since he didn’t believe her, she evoked her angel status to great effect.

“Please, Angel. Then let me ask you…Will you forgive a man like me? A man who could not serve his family and failed his kingdom’s people? A man whose strength failed to keep the peace. Would you really value a man whose life lost all purpose?”

Sakura closed her eyes and she couldn’t help but ask the same question to her heart as she thought of the way she lived these past few years — controlled and unwanted. And how she stabbed herself in the heart before anybody else had the chance to.

Like Itachi, she was tormented with her demons but blamed herself when she did no wrong. And it wasn’t fair, not to her— and especially not to him. 

Sakura placed her hand over heart as she spoke to it. Will you forgive me for betraying you? For letting you down? For leaving you dry until you couldn’t fathom love? To die in the desert of my barren feelings.

And the answer to both, she spoke.

“Yes. I forgive you. But you should forgive yourself for denying the beauty that I know is in your soul, Itachi. If you do that, then you will be free.” Just as I will. I will be free from my first enemy — my own hasty, fearful self. “You deserve to be free, you were always meant to be free.”

Sakura’s soft voice tickled Itachi’s heart and for the first time, his mask broke entirely. The strong warrior was held tight by the sight of those clear green eyes, holding him hostage and setting him free… and he crumbled before her.

As soon as Itachi realized that truth, he could only bow his head before her and hug her tight. “You save me, Angel. I am yours.”

Once more, Sakura was enveloped in a soft white light. 

………………………

………………………………………….

………………………………………….

  
The dream ended and Sakura woke in a bed of white sheets. Next to her, Itachi laid down, staring down at her with his head propped on his elbow. 

“Itachi…?” He was too close! Sakura could smell a slight rust, a fresh smell of the forest…and…She sniffed. Fire or ash? 

_Is this…part of the test? No…I don’t know…_ Sakura couldn’t stop running her gaze down that sharp physique and her mouth dried up. B _ut do I even mind?_

“So my angel has awoken. I couldn’t believe you were real so I had wanted to hear your voice.” He tenderly touched her cheek. “But I couldn’t bear to interrupt your sleep.”

Sakura blushed at his close presence before her eyes deeped and narrowed. No, I do not mind. Since this is a dream, I won’t hold back anymore!

Itachi watched her face redden and chuckled. “So the angel is aware of her lack of dressed state. Seeing as how the heavens sent me this gift…” He rose from his side and the silky black blanket fell from his bare chest down to his hip — his hard muscles trailing down, not too lean but not bulging. She could barely fit her hand around his bicep, she predicted. 

He placed one arm on the other side of her head and his long black hair curtained their faces so she could stare into that dark gaze. The heat of his gaze exuded control and yearning. “May I be bold to consider you are…” He leaned into her ear and his voice became a soft husk, “Waiting to be unwrapped?”

His fingers untied the bow that kept her dress together…He pulled slowly, watching as she hitched her breath in anticipation. The silk ribbon came loose and the dress fell apart, sliding off her pale skin like a curtain lifting to reveal the goddess free from her cover. His finger edged against her skin like a line of fire. 

Looking into Sakura’s watery emerald eyes, the sensual man lowered his lips to between her breasts and then slowly trailed his tongue from belly button to her chest. He gave one breast a kiss as held it like gold and then slightly nipped the tip in a bid to heighten that electric feeling. The wet of his tongue, the heat of his hands, those hard palms cradled her like she was made of the cloud she rode to him.

It was both sensual that sent a fire to her senses…and slightly displeased her.

She frowned, her juicy lips sticking just so, and murmurred, “I am not a weak lady.”

Itachi lifted her leg as he slid his palm down her inner thigh in one swift motion, kissing her neck in a heated trail. “No,” He breathed into her ear as she groaned. “But you are my lady. And I will bring you to a slow ecstasy. When we are done, you wouldn’t have room to catch a breath under my hands.”

He bit her earlobe a bit hard and the small pain jolted her while his hand proceeded to inch closer to that wet spot between her legs. “I”ll take my time with you and you will beg me.”

He licked along her chin like a wild animal and then held her gaze, nose-to-nose. “So beg.” A feral chuckle came off him. Then he captured her lips and his thumb entered her folds.

“Mm!” She opened her mouth to speak, but he stuck his tongue in and a fierce dance began. While he invaded her, that thumb moved in circles. Slower then faster and faster. He added his index finger to enter her while he stimulated her clit and his other hand glided against her back, unnerving her. His fingers clutched her ass and squeezed hard.

“Nn..!” Sakura gave a tiny moan through the conquest of her lips and he let her take a breath. 

“My Sakura…” He nipped at her lip with a soft bite before giving it a lick. “You taste so sweet.”

She could feel his thickness rise against her leg and a primal need came over her. She subconsciously spread her legs and Itachi leaned forward. His fingers entering her hole in slow thrusting motions. One digit turned to two. 

“Ahh!” She rocked her body against his hand as he captured her breast in his mouth, his tongue flicking at her nipple as he sucked. 

After a while, he took his soaked fingers out and Sakura’s eyes were still hazy from the stimulation. Then he lifted her legs onto his shoulders and before she could stop him, he put his face between her legs. “Ahhh!”

Itachi licked and sucked as his tongue sent mad waves through her body. She screamed a silent death as his long tongue sent desire to tremor straight down her spine. “Itachi…Itachi!” She screamed his name and as if driven mad by her calls, he lapped and sucked harder. 

A while later still, he finally gave her reprieve as the silent deaths came over and over.With a wolfish grin, he slid against her body like a fish to water and she felt him grind against her center.

“Sakura…” His voice rough and his hands rougher still. The scars of battle and hard training marking his skin and her desire grew. “Will you beg for me or must I give you a slower sensual torture?”

“Take me,” Sakura begged. “Take me please. Itachi.” She almost half-sobbed. “I need you inside.”

“As my angel wishes.” He thrust forward a bit and she could feel his tip enter her hole. “You should be wet enough. I’ll start slowly.”

“Ahn, Itachi, more! Please.” Sakura lost control of her reasoning as she succumbed to her desires. She wanted this man. She needed him. 

Itachi thrust insider her more and his length pressed open her hole, stuffing her and she groaned. He rubbed a bit around and entered deeper in until she was filled completely. “I’m going to move.”

The two became one as he thrusted against her in a steady fashion before getting faster, heavier, harder. Sakura screamed in ecstasy at his dominance and he bit into her neck as he came. 

Then repeat. Over and over until she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. Hell, she could barely tell which way was up. Her long strands of hair slipping off her shoulders and sent a shiver on her sensitive skin. 

Sakura gave in to his burning hands like a puppet to her master, her body putty in his ministrations. “Harder, Itachi, harder! Ah, Ahhh!”

Itachi thrust in and out, in and out — faster, seamless and rough. Like the trained killer he was. His sword hit deepest and Sakura tossed her head back, back arched so her chest smothered Itachi’s face as he leaned into her, and she screamed the loudest she’s ever screamed in her life. It held all her desire, all her need that’s been suppressed for twenty years. “ITACHIIIII”

He came one final time and pulled out with a last grunt. Then they laid like that — entangled and at peace.

And so, the first chain around Sakura’s heart fell. 

[Dream One Complete. 

Reward: May you find your voice in the unknown.]

  
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AUTHOR NOTE: 

Hiya! WitchySkies here!

Sooo Twelve Nights, Twelve Men. Who will break the rules? *Raises brow* hint for next time.

Sakura is a lady whose been chained up and the Fairy Godmother is her alice in wonderland call. 

That and I wanted to write something sexy but with a tension build up through chapters so this is my test of writing!

(Well, I already failed the limit part. This was originally a one shot but the idea became too big. So not it’s like 13-14 chapters).

So yeah, a short series.

Well, please review and let me know if I got the sexual attraction right. Or just let me know if I should be making Itachi wilder lolol I’m aiming to get that dominating vibe, subtle sexual tension build up thing going. That’s my writing dream *fantasizes*

Of course, I had to give her first time to Itachi. *Swoon*

So enjoy the sexy wonderland and stay tuned to find out what Sakura will find at the end of days at the enchancted castle mwahahaha!

Next Chapter: Kakashi.

(So far the list of men in the next coming chapters are:

1\. Itachi  
2\. Kakashi  
3\. Deidara (I swear this guy)  
4\. Sasori (this guy too)(No spoiling witchyskies!)  
5\. Gaara  
6\. Kisame  
7\. Sasuke  
8\. Hidan  
9\. Neji  
10\. Naruto  
11\. Madara/tobi  
12\. Minato (He will NOT be Naruto’s father in this story. I just really like him)

So order is NOT set in stone. I added minato because thought he looked cool. Again. NO he is not going to be related to anyone in this story (I like naruto too much for that) so treat him as, uh, a blind date. Wait, does that count as blind? I mean I just told you — never mind.

What do you guys think?

And each dream has a tie to Sakura as well as the man’s trouble. And the reward is what she gained when she figures it out and is one step closer to her wish’s desire. I hope that is expressed, so let me know!

Thank you for reading, please review and have a great weekend!

*Dances in hokage*

WitchySkies

P.S. I’m going to finish this on in the next month or two. It was supposed to be a one shot but ended up a short series. 

P.S.S. The other series will take more time, but I will be updating them as I go so no worries.

P.S.S.S. I haven’t written so much until this summer so at least the ideas aren’t stagnating in my brain. Happy productiveness ( I should really apply some of this effort on studies…Cough)

PSSSSSSSSSSS: I type in Yoda when I don’t pay attention. If found, mind me not.


	2. Playing With Devils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This italics business is killing me. I have to change each one back when I post here....my fingers T.T

**Chapter Two: “Playing With Devils”**

“In this Cold World of Steel and Stone,  
How Would You Pave Your Own Way?”  
—A Lady’s Determination Can Move Mountains—

………………………………………….

………………………………………….

When Sakura woke next, she was sitting back in the dark lounge that she first saw when she first landed in this castle. She sat on velvet cushions that felt softer than her luxurious blankets at home. The black decor and the silver-edged tiles on the floor gave a feeling of power, seduction and dominance. A devil’s playground. After last night, she certainly wasn’t the pure Lady Sakura wishing on a star anymore.

All Sakura felt was…Excited. Pure, electrifying excitement. 

_There’s no way I can go back to my old life. So what now? Who am I if I’m not a lady of nobility — A useless smiling political tool?_

Just as Sakura was contemplating her future, a deep voice murmurred from behind, “Hello, Angel.”

The hairs on her neck rose and she tried to hide how her legs went to jelly just now. “Itachi,” she breathed out. Suddenly, their…evening…came running through her mind into crystal clear pictures that her body apparently couldn’t forget. Sakura’s face heated up intensely as she quickly scanned her body —

_Okay. Today I’m wearing a sheer white dress. It barely covers anything at all — way less than the black one yesterday. Am I supposed to play the angel angle again tonight?_

“Did you sleep well?” Sakrua smiled as she tried to pretend to be a more experienced lover than she was. _Imposter syndrome is very debilitating. I was wet enough that I didn’t bleed so there goes myth 1 of woman anatomy. If the castle knew my thoughts, they’d call me a lying harlot…but would still ‘play’ with the king and prince. Hypocrites._ “I don’t believe I told you my name yet. It’s Sakura. So you don’t have to call me angel — I’m obviously mortal. My apologies if I gave you the wrong impression.” She fidgeted with her dress. 

_Actually…didn’t he call my name last night once? “But you already knew that. Why did you call me Sakura last night? I’ve never actually told it to you.” Maybe the men in these dreams were informed of her?_

Itachi chuckled and slid his fingers in her hair, lifting one of the pink tresses and rubbing it between his fingers. “Sakura, the pink and beautiful cherry blossoms, is a famous flower of the eastern kingdoms. I thought of it when I first saw you and it suits you to share the name, angel.”

 _So he’s sticking with me being an angel. Well, we are in an enchanged castle and he probably teleported from that battlefield without warning…so I can’t blame him._ “Thank you.” She couldn’t help the flush that wouldn’t leave her skin. This is the longest I’ve been with a man in her entire cooped up life! What do men and women even talk about after getting intimate? Make breakfast?!

No, no, no. Sakura! You’re still in the dream world. You only have until midnight so get your ass over there!

“I’m sorry, Itachi! I have a deadline and need to go now.”

“I can follow.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s wise. I…have to help other souls or they’ll be trapped in their madness.” Forget it! I’ll be an angel if he wanted. The man did not want to change his high expectations. “As an angel, I must help them.”

“I thought you were but a simple woman, my dear Sakura?” A wicked grin slid on his face as Itachi laid a kiss on her long lock and let it fall. “Let me escort you, then.”

Th-This man knows what he’s doing! Grr. Playing me like that. Sakura pouted but accepted his hand and they both walked upstairs. At least he’s a perfect gentleman. Huh. So casual sex was not a big deal between experienced lovers. That’s good to know. 

Sakura smiled obliviously as she faced forward while the tall man rubbed her hand, missing the hungry look in his eyes. When they stopped by the second door after Itachi’s room, she turned and curtseyed a bit. “Thank you for escorting me, Itachi. Goodbye.”

Itachi watched as Sakura entered the room and as soon as the doors shut, he placed his hand on the handle, turning it slightly. It didn’t budge. For a few minutes, he waited outside the doors while he calculated the timing of last night.

“If I cannot stop the angel from her duties, then I must be her guardian.” Itachi’s dark eyes flashed as a savage grin spread across his face. “After all, she’ll need a devil to save her from other devils.”

Black eyes burned red.

And the demons makes plans to capture the angel.

……………………..

……………………

………………….

When Sakura found herself in a small town, she immediately looked down and sighed in relief. Instead of the white lingerie, it magically changed to a plain white dress that fell to her ankles. When she looked up again, she was shocked to see a haggard man running with a dagger aimed at a silver-haired man who faced the other way. Before she could re-think her actions, she dashed forward to take down the man with a dagger. 

“Look out!” Sakura screamed. She ran forward, but then tripped and pushed down the silver-haired man instead. “Ah!” While she fell, she could see the blade pass her face and the man running away. SWISH!

CRASH! She landed on something hard yet warm and knocked her head.

“Ow…” Sakura clutched her head before she was thrown off to hit the road. She looked up to see red and black eyes staring in her own — very angry ones. “H-Hello?” she squeaked.

The man snarled at her, “Don’t touch me, woman.”

“There was a man with a knife —“ she protested.

“I know. I was waiting for him so I could kill him then and there, but thanks to your idiocy, he’s going to get his friends and now I have to waste my time.” He stood up. “Get up, we have to leave —“

“Kakashi! We have you surrounded!” Sure enough, three more men came and surrounded the both of them. 

“Tch.” Kakashi’s eyes narrowed. “Stupid woman, make sure to stay back.” He got out a couple of knives and with no time wasted, he threw one. It landed deep into the first man’s skull to Sakura’s horror. 

“GRAAAAH!” Another man came from behind Sakura, sword about to cut down at her head and to her dismay, her body stayed frozen, paralyzed by fear. 

Oh god. I’m going to die. The edge of the blade gleamed over her eyes — then a large shadow loomed over her.

SLASH!

Kakashi stepped in front and blocked the sword with a single dagger. Without another word, he reached out and grabbed the man’s collar before tossing him over his shoulder and hurling him over to the last man standing.

BANG!!!

The last two men crashed against a couple of sitting barrels. Then Kakashi grabbed the same sword that was used to threaten Sakura and killed them with a single stroke. He tossed the sword to the side before turning to Sakura, “No thank you? Heh. I’ll be leaving, Ms. Hero.” He gave her a sarcastic smile before walking away.

“Wait!” Sakura ran after him. “Thank you.” She curtseyed deeply and then looked up into his eyes. “Please let me come with you!”

“Ha?!” Kakashi shoved her to the side. “I don’t know you.”

“Please! I -“ Sakura just knew he must be the soul of this dream she had to talk to, but what now? The man clearly disliked her. Think Sakura, think! 

When Kakashi turned away again, she hurried to block him, splurting out, “I have nowhere to go! And…And I like you! Please let me repay with my body!” Wait..That came out wrong…God, I obviously did not think. Before she could change her words, the menacing fighter smiled disparaging. 

“So…you’re that kind of woman. Worthless. Now move.”

Sakura blocked his way again. _I am NOT running through a whole village to find you again! I’m going to have to run with this angle for the dream._ “No! Just give me a chance!” 

_Clearly I need more practice picking up men from the streets nevermind a man who hates women. Surely those worldly castle ladies who gave favors to the prince would know the best approach…but this is all I got. I’ll pester him until he lets me near!_

“Persistent, aren’t you? Suit yourself.” He walked past her and Sakura followed after. When he didn’t throw her off immediately, she looked around to amuse herself while she walked. This may be a world through her dreams, but everything seemed so real that it might actually be. She could even smell the stink of the city, the perfumes and the smell of baked bread all in one unmistable scent. And when that man almost killed her — that was real. Or at least as real as it needed to be for her. The shock, the surging emotions, the paralysis — it was nothing she had to face as a noble lady trapped in her room. It felt too real to be a dream.

Then, as if to test her belief in the reality of this “dream world”, a man stepped out from behind Kakashi just as he turned and once more, her body acted in response. She ran up and blocked the dagger — It stabbed her gut. 

A searing pain coursed through her and she fell to the floor. T-This world really wanted to kill her! God, it burns!

Kakashi cursed and his red eye burst to flame. He stepped forward and a torrent of flames erupted from his mouth as it hit the attacker straight on. The townsfolk screamed and ran away in a panic to escape the “demon”.

“AHHHHHH!!!” The attacker burned alive as he ran around and no one helped him. He disappeared down the road, screaming for mercy as he ran. The street was deserted. 

Kakashi looked down to the foolish woman who kept getting in his way, but he couldn’t be angry at her anymore. Solemnly, he bent down. “I do not have the ability to heal you and there are no hospitals in this town — the few doctors are all in the lord’s castles. Why? Why would you risk your life?” His brow wrinkled at her blood and he gently touched it with a strange fascination. 

“I…I don’t know.” Sakura gritted her teeth through the pain. She was curious herself. She knew it was a dream world and thus the soul of the dream shouldn’t be killed so easily, but when that man came out, she forgot all about that and just wanted save his life. It was a very painful and foolish thing to do, but she regretted none of it. “I guess I really did fall in love with you at first sight.” Sakura laughed at her joke. _Well, this didn’t go exactly the way I planned, but If I die here, at least I tried to save someone._

“Ridiculous.” Kakashi frowned then he stooped down and quickly lifted her up. He ran quickly until they came to a small inn hidden in a backalley. He ran to a room with a nod to the landlady and locked the door. Then he took out bandages and ripped her dress so it split in half. Leaving space so he could see where the knife was stuck in her stomach area, he cursed. 

Sakura didn’t know how to handle this man. First he wanted to ditch her and now he just carried her away to heal her even if there was no hope. “It’s fine.” She moved a bit and the wound burned by the slight movement. “Argh!” She gritted her teeth. I _f only I had magic….Wait a minute!_

Sakura froze. If this is still part of the dream spell world, then wouldn’t her godmother be able to help? “F-Fairy godmother! Can you hear me?” Sakura waited with baited breath and before she lost hope, yellow sparkles gently fell over her like blanket of lights that fell throughout the room. It was scene straight out of a fairy tale.

Kakashi’s eyes widened as the lights merged until the strange pink-haired woman was completely covered in light. With a rare wonder in his voice, he whispered, “Fae magic…?”

In a minute, the magic dispersed and Sakura looked down to see her wound gone and the knife on the floor. She sighed in relief as a sense of euphoria filled her. And then she laughed from the heart. “Ahahaha! Thank you Godmother! Hahaha! Wow!” That really worked! 

Kakashi cut her off, “Strange woman. You can’t be fae. Are you a witch? A mage? That was fae magic!”

“Uh…Nothing. I’m just a normal woman. Not strange.” Why did he insist on insulting me if he’s so curious about me?

“Normal women don’t cry out for godmothers. You wouldn’t be a princess, would you?” His sharp face inched closer to hers as his eyes probed hers. “Or are you going to say an angel?”

“Well…technically no. But people have called me that.” Sakura shrugged. Technically, she was still a simple noble lady not the princess. Well, technically, she was going to be the prince’s betrothed…before all this happened. Heh. “I’m whatever you want me to be.”

“How interesting.” A sense of relief entered his heart to his irritation and he went back to questioning her motives. Why would a stranger who can heal fatal wounds fall in love with a demon — Everyone around these parts know about my eye. And one who could do fae magic…Maybe she is acting like she fell in love. Fae liked to play tricks but they also hate to be humiliated or touched if they were truly unwilling…I should test her. Without waiting a second, Kakashi grasped Sakura’s chin and kissed her.

Sakura jolted in surprise and squirmed, but he leaned in and forced his tongue inside. After an intense dance of their tongues, he licked his lip and said with a deep voice, “Since you were that determined to follow me, I will humor you…”

Sakura breathed heavily and held on to his shoulder. “Sakura. Call me Sakura.”

“Then, Sakura. Shall we test this love-at-first-sight business?” He leaned forward, eyes focused entirely on her lips.

Sakura was stunned at his straightforwardness, but a little thrill ran down her. _I guess the adrenaline from almost dying can turn you on? Well, whichever. I won’t say no. Sakura eyed the mysterious fighter. And he did save me — twice in a day. Their relationship met milestones most couples wouldn’t see for years. Why the hell not?_ So she gave a wicked grin of her own and said, “Just testing?”

Kakashi paused before narrowing his eyes. “Yes. I won’t be a fool to pretend in love at first sight. But this…I don’t mind. You can call it destiny if you wish.” He touched her nose with his, lips just barely grazing hers. “What say you, hmm?”

“I agree.” She smiled mischievously and she spun a story on the spot. “Actually, I don’t mind if it’s just for tonight. I confess it wasn’t a pure love that led me to you, but I felt extremely attracted…especially after you saved my life.” Well, none of that was a lie even if it’s not the whole truth…

Kakashi chuckled at her confession, “Then I shall take my payment…” He trailed his thumb along her cheek…and like he did switched personalities, he growled and pulled her to his chest, turning her so she sat in his lap as he fell to the bed.

He grasped her hair roughly, but not too hard, and whispered in her ear from behind, “Is this what you want, Sakura? Then you shall get it.” Like a beast came over him, he sniffed against the back of her neck. “Hmm. Sweet.”

Kakashi’s eyes roved her body like a wild animal’s and he pushed her down. His palms ripping that sheer white dress as he rubbed against her chest. “You’ve been following me for quite some time. So you can’t turn back now.” He licked his lips. “You can’t escape.”

Sakura gasped as her skin felt on fire. Tears leaked out of her eyes at the pleasure. Sure she wanted to rile him up, but he seemed more into it than she imagined. 

For the next hour, the two got caught in a heated dance, and Kakashi’s long fingers succeeded in giving her an orgasm for the nth time…

Kakashi spread her folds apart and said vulgarly, “Your pussy is so wet, woman. You couldn’t wait, huh?” His licked his lips, his long tongue dancing wickedly — and he bent down to lick her inner thigh before sliding up to her ankle. That wet streak outlining her leg in his control.

Then he pulled her leg so she ended up fully against him as he leaned over her, his steel muscles trapping her in his hold. His nose touched hers and those dark eyes held Sakura’s like a killer and his prey. 

Sakura stiffened before she relaxed and a sultry gaze of her own clashed with his. Green eyes deepened as she smirked and grabbed his neck from behind, pulling his face closer. “Then take me.” 

And like a leash had broken off, Kakashi pounced on her lips with a feral passion, grinding against her body like a starving man out for meat. “Sinful woman, you asked for it.” He growled and shoved his dick inside the irritating woman.

Sakura gasped as she felt that hard thing fill her up. Her body was already wet as it was and now she felt stuffed. Then he started moving —

Despite his words, he started slow. Inching in and out as if testing the waters before he rubbed around inside her and that length became larger and the strides longer. Innnn. Ouuuut. He moved faster and faster until she could barely catch his rhythym. His body scorching her with every touch as he moved her along with him. 

“Ahhh!” Sakura couldn’t hold back her voice as the man spread her legs wider apart and hit deeper.

“This’ll teach you to make me crazy! You insane woman. Putting your life at risk for strangers, I should just tie you up and make sure you never step outside, you little minx!” He turned savage as he pounded into her.

“Wha —! Ahhhn!” Sakura moaned louder and louder. “So hard!”

Kakashi moved to squeeze her breasts, the pale bouncing peaches squished between his rough fingers. A dark urge riled in him as he bit one of those enticing mounds.

“Ah! Don’t!” Sakura jolted as her breasts tingled at his touch and a slight pain echoed in the pleasure. “I-I can’t —“ Sakura was starting to see that Itachi was acting gentle last night compared to this guy. 

Kakashi ignored her cries as he licked around her breast then squeezed those nipples. After, he squished them together and nuzzled his face between them, pounding into her faster as he went. “Sakura…” A satisfied purr escaped him. “Just follow me…”

The assassin rode her hard until late into the night and finally came. He groaned and sweat dotted that long neck, adam apple moving as he breathed heavily. His eyes lingered over Sakura’s listless body, her wide curves, thin waist, and those brilliant green eyes glistening with tears. It drove him mad.

He pulled out of her, watching as white dripped out of her hole and smiled. “My Sakura.”

……………………..

……………………

………………….

  
After a long sleep, she was surprised to find herself still in the assassin’s arms. His eyes were closed in deep sleep and Sakura studied the long scar that ran down his eye, wondering who would do such a thing.

Kakashi had his arms wrapped around her tight, his leg between hers and he cradled her closer. Sakura had to look up to see his face. That strong jawline always got to her.

Then with a serious gaze, she contemplated why she was still here. Let’s see. We had a confession, he swore to hate me, I swore to follow him, then we had rough sex for our one night stand…So why am I still sleeping in bed? I thought I would be waking up in the castle lounge by now.

Sakura thought back to the spell. It said she would need to keep an eye out and open her heart. And she would have a clue to find her true desire or something. Maybe she had a lesson she needed to learn?

So she thought about Kakashi and how he reacted when she almost got herself killed. He never abandoned her despite his words. And he almost…looked concerned when she tried to block the dagger. It was only a second, but that had to mean something!

And Kakashi killed for a living — he seemed to want to avoid it, but he his lack of mercy were based off a desire to survive. If he let one man live that wanted to kill him, three more followed. But he wasn’t like the mercenaries in her own home. The men who did much worse tortures for fun and looked down on women and a few even abused some of the staff to death…and her parents looked away because their power and resources helped the kingdom. They even glorified those men and painted them white.

She hated it. The kingdom was full of hypocrites and injustice — At least Kakashi did not lie about who he was nor acted that it was a holy act.

Sakura’s eyes widened at her thoughts. She used to view herself as a humanitarian, a pacifist and believer in all killers must be bad. She was naive. She hated killing and war. She still does…but a darker voice spoke to her.

This is earth not heaven. And who will save the innocent from the killers? The ones who kill to protect.

And to believe she was above that was not only delusional and not practical, but also disrespectful to her beliefs.

There was a saying a soldier told her once. “Para bellum ci vis pacem.” If you want peace, prepare for war. 

She never really understood until now. And even now, it’s still hard to swallow. But…

 _If I must live in this harsh land where people look away from suffering for their higher goals, then I will not lower my eyes anymore._ The longer Sakura stayed in this dream world, the more her feelings cemented. She could not go home. She needed to make a life where she could live her ideal…or at least try to no matter what the cost. And to do that, she couldn’t shy away from the uglier sides of reality if she wanted to truly embrace the light and way forward.

She held Kakashi’s cheek in her hand. “If we are all sinners, then let us sin to save what peace we can together.” 

To her shock, Kakashi’s eyes snapped open, red and black trapping her. “Then that’s a promise.”

[Dream Two Complete. 

Reward: The Will To Do What It Takes No Matter The Cost. May you live leading your life and not only fearing for it. Take initiative in your life.]

  
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AUTHOR NOTE:

Heya, WitchySkies here! 

Ok, this writing spree is lasting longer than I thought. Oh well, love it. 

I’ll try to update quickly while I have time so keep an eye out lolol

Now. Kakashi. Yepppp I made him wild. I usually see him as that calm, mature type whose is a bit socially awkward, but then I think of him in an anbu mask or whatever…

And then he suddenly became some angry assassin. 

Ok, ok. I just REALLY wanted to write a very wild kakashi! Fine I confess! Happy?!

In later chapters, I’ll add some modern elements to the kingdoms like how naruto was a traditional ninja village and yet had plumbing. Just saying. Cough. Ex: bars and etc.

And a hint for next time: the dreams will level up…because of certain factors hehehe. 

Is it weird that I listen to sexy deep voice rap songs or amv remixes when writing the sexy parts? Those voices. God. If only….*Cough* Moving on…!

OK! Loves and Sexy Amv’s! Have a good one,

WitchySkies

P.S. Please review and thanks for reading!  
P.S.S. How does this wild Kakashi fare?  
P.SSSSS: I can’t wait to write when things escalate in dream castle MWAHAHAAHAHA


	3. An Artist's Ideal

**Chapter Three: “An Artist’s Ideal”**

“Art Was Supposted To Be A Bang,  
So Why Can’t I Destroy You?”  
—On Creating a Muse—

………………………………………….

………………………………………….

  
Sakura woke once again on the velvet cushions of the castle lounge. _It’s a bit unsettling to wake up every morning like this. Hm? There’s another couch there?_ She eyed the duplicate furniture and then rubbed her eyes groggily. When she opened her eyes again — 

_When did —?!_ Sakura sat up straight in a shock. On what used to be an empty couch, sat two handsome men dressed in fine dark suits like nobles on the prowl. Two very, very familiar men…

Oh God. This is awkward. Sakura tried to think about what to do when you have two lovers sitting next to each other. _Sure, they weren’t official lovers and only had one night stands, but maybe experienced people had some social code for morning afters? I knew I should have read those flirting tip books the ladies snuck in the crevices of the library! What would be the experienced, the most mature, the most eloquent thing to say in this situation…?!_

“U-Um, well, I’ll leave you two alone to talk. I must get going…” Sakura murmurred as she quickly jumped off her seat and began to speed walk to the stairs. _The answer is to escape!!_ She was so nervous, that she didn’t even do her daily ritual of admiring today’s clothes. She’ll find out later. Priorities!

She’d gotten to the bottom of the stairs when two hands clasped her shoulders. Gulp! “M-May I help you?” She squeaked out while looking behind her.

“Sakura,” Itachi growled. “Who is this man? I assume he is one of the souls you had to save, but what is your relationship to him?” 

“Tsk.” Kakashi sneered down at the man next to him. “That should be my line. Sakura is mine. I don’t know why we teleported to this strange castle, but we won’t stay here.”

“You can’t leave, you lout. I’ve been here since yesterday — its’ enchanted. The angel can’t leave either.”

“Ha? Angel? She’s clearly with the Fae —“

The two men started arguing and Sakura had a naughty idea. No wonder they gave me until midnight to find the room — well, here goes nothing! “Actually, the reason why you are both here in this castle is simple.” She waited until both men focused back on her. “In order to — Excuse me, can you remove your hands? I’m trying to tell you.” She gave her best ‘offended noble lady’ glare she could muster.

“Excuse me, my Lady.” Itachi immediately dropped his hand with a slight bow. _You could tell he was used to dealing with nobility._

“…Fine.” Kakashi on the other hand was more of a rogue and slowly released his hand with a grumble. 

“Thank you.” With great dramatics, Sakura channeled in her most serious face and spread her arms wide. “If you kneel before me, I can use my magic to show you the truth of this castle. It will take me a great deal of concentration, so please don’t stare at me — Nay, don’t even look at me or I won’t be able to spell properly. I am fairly new, after all. When I finish with the spell, there will be silence. Do not fear, I am in the middle of conjuring. Do not disturb me until I say it is done. Now!”

Then men frowned, but did as she told. Looking at her “princess face”, they solemnly knelt to the ground and bowed their heads down. 

“Arashli Man Suerom…” Sakura began to chant random words while she peeked down at them — nope, no one was lifting their heads. “Liserat faen gol…I call upon the powers that be…”

When she silenced herself, she waited for three seconds and then quietly darted up the stairs. It was good it was marble and she was barefoot or she’d never have succeeded. Dash —!!

And just like that, she entered the third room.

One minute later….

“I knew I shouldn’t trusted that damn fairy!”  
“Hn. The angel is naughtier than I thought.”

**She won’t escape next time.**

…………………………

…………………………

…………………………

  
Once more, a white light enveloped Sakura as soon as she opened the door…and then she was frozen. 

“Eh?!!!” She tried to speak, but even her lips couldn’t move. In fact, her scream was silent. _Did I enter the wrong room? Why can’t I move?!_

Sakura tried to move her eyes, but even that could only look straight forward — she almost had a mental breakdown when suddenly a woman’s face popped up from below.

“I need to add a little more depth to your chin…that pout of your lips needs more fullness…” The woman said, but her voice was a bit too deep… _But she was too pretty to be a man? That luxurious blonde hair was too cared for! Was that insulting? Where did my manners go — no wait, Sakura, you’re being touched by him!_

Sakura’s head went into a spiral as the man continued to molest her face. Strangely enough, she could feel his fingers, but they weren’t warm. It was like ice. His hand pulled up to her vision line and it was covered in gray clay of sorts…

The blonde man then said, “My masterpiece will soon be finished. All you need, my muse, is a little time to harden and —“

Sakura fell into a shock. If that gray clay was really her body and if she judged the situation right….She was a cursed statue?! _I…I’m going to faint…_

Suddenly the man lifted his hand to her eyesight and on his palm…was another mouth — which had more gray clay pop out. “…!” Sakura stared in morbid curiosity as the mouth licked it’s lips sexily before licking her face. The wet streak on her cold face sent a shock through her - a mix of chill and fire. Then she heard the man say she was almost done…

For the first time since she started this dream world, Sakura Haruno couldn’t handle it. And so she fainted with only one riduculous thought running unbidden in her mind — 

_Does mouth clay last long? I don’t want to melt under the sun if I’m going to be a garden statue…_

With silent tears, she completely knocked out.

………………..

………………..

……………….

After a long time, Sakura ‘woke up’ and once more couldn’t move.

 _I…What now?_ Sakura sighed mentally. _There’s no way the Godmother would leave me like this. She had faith in her. But how do I break out of my statue state?_

She analyzed what she could see — so it’s night. The studio is empty and she could see the heads of other statues, but all of them were half finished of sorts. One had no eyes, one had no lips…another was just a lump. It looked like the pretty man had an artist block.

_Okay. So I am still a stone lady. Maybe if I tried to call for help with my thoughts? Fairy Godmother Ella? Hello? Anybody there? I’m stuck as a statue and I don’t even know if I have a nose! HELP!!!_

_……Shit_. Sakura cursed for the first time in her life. There has to be another way. _This is a magic dream world, right? Maybe this was a test of magic. I was healed in the last world when I asked for help. Maybe I might be able to access magic directly…?_

Honestly, it was a long shot, but Sakura had nothing to lose. 

Sakura envisioned the light sparkles that healed her fatal wounds the day before. She thought of the feeling of it — warm, a strange vibration…a feeling like all her body was open and heart an open channel…

Deep within her, she felt a foreign feeling…like a frayed string that was just barely holding on, she focused on that feeling and calmed her mind down. Clearing the mind, she began to steady her ‘breaths’ as she focused only on that frayed connection…Come…Closer…

And like a spark was lit, the feeling grew stronger in response. It grew within her until she could feel her immobile body fill with it’s warmth. More and more, the heat grew until she could feel the breath come out of her and she gasped.

“Hah..!” Sakura breathed in her first breath of air since she fell into this dream. Gulping down deep breaths like a fish out of water, she focused the newfound energy within her to her hands…to her fingers….She moved one! Real tears fell down her face as she slowly broke out of the shell she was in. Crack. Crack.

She moved another finger, then a hand…then she could feel a toe…Part by part, she cracked open her stone cage until the heat burst out of her in a brilliant inferno of light that blinded her.

When the light faded, Sakura could feel the cold air lick her skin, the smell of clay and wood assault her and she cried. “I’m free!” She breathed out with bliss. “Oh thank god, I can feel my fingers again.” She kissed her hands like a mad woman and twirled around with arms wide open, laughin her heart out.

“M—Miracle! It’s a miracle!” Suddenly a man’s voice shouted from below and Sakura froze like the statue she was before. The pretty man jumped up from where he lay on the floor and reached out to hold her — but he stopped short as he sobbed. “Y-You’re…human? Or are you a figment of my imagination, my fantasy pretending to come to life?” 

While the artist sobbed before her, Sakura on the other hand was having an existential crisis around her mission. _So, I escaped being a statue and now I assume this is the soul of the dream. Seeing as how he slept under me for a whole night and has mouths on his hands, he is definitely not a normal insane artist devoted to his craft…And I just ‘came to life’ in front of him — while…Yep. I’m naked. God. If I’m not careful, he might go completely insane!_

Sakura did the only thing she could think of and asked, “So, I’m Sakura. And you are?” She tried not to care about his eyes roaming over her body seeing as how he literally molded her out of clay a while ago. She peered down at him with her best “princess face” and said, “Well? Your name.”

“S-Sorry, love, I am Deidara.” His deep voice had a kind of tang to it, almost musical. “I can’t believe you came to life. My ideal woman, my masterpiece…” His gray-blue eyes seemed to shine with a euphoric light as he smiled big, “Yes! I finally broke the limit of my art — you didn’t just come back to life, you came to life with a BANG!!” He made wide motions with his arms as he exclaimed, “That light! When you cracked out of your stone cage, the way that brilliant light bursted out or the cracks of your bodily cage…It was the most exquisite thing I’ve seen in my life. My explosive muse, my one and only.”

Deidara reached out to her with the gaze of complete worship and his palms slightly drooled towards her.

 _I still can’t get used to those hands…but…_ Sakura had a naughty vision of what those mouths could do and she gulped. Bad Sakura! Settle down!

Clearing her throat, Sakura asked, “Pleasure to meet you, Deidara. I was not born from this statue, but I was sent here to listen to your worries, your fears and wishes.” And hopefully get a clue to how to complete this dream. But…I seriously do not have any original ideas, do I? Godmother Ella would laugh at me.

“My…wish?” Deidara stopped drooling, well, his palms shut up, and he held a finger curled to his chin, eyes focused in thought. “It can be anything?”

Sakura held up a hand. “I can listen to your worries and wishes, yes, but if it’s something I can grant, then I shall.” Even though I have no powers or deep knowledge…What am I trying to do?! Sakura hid her nervousness behind a practiced noble smile, honed from years in the capital’s teeth.

“Then…” The manly beauty cocked his head to the side, ponytail dangling for an aesthetically-pleasing effect, and smirked. “I would like to hold you, love.”

“Yes — Hm?!” Sakura dropped her act immediately and jumped back off the pedestal. Now eye-to-eye, she stammered, “D-Don’t you have any serious worries?!” Are all men beasts?! Sure, she checked him out earlier, but he didn’t know that! A blush ran down her body as she covered her chest with her arms. 

“Nothing matters now that you exist.” Deidara stepped forward bit by bit like he was trying not to scare off the bunny. “You are already my greatest dream come true. And I fear that the night will soon take you away if I dally. So if you were truly sent here, love, I plead for your kindness. Let this mortal man please you, my goddess.” Deidara’s words spun like silken gold as he woo’d her. 

Sakura stood with her back to the window and full moon eclipsed her curvy form. Her long pink hair fell to her hips like a shimmering curtain of silk, those wide emerald eyes lit like the stars…and those hips that tempted a man to hell everytime she fidgeted…Deidara couldn’t hold back a gulp as he feasted on the vision before his eyes. A fire lit in his groin as he imagined what he could do with those perfectly round hips — hips he molded himself. He let out a breath, “Perfect…”

Deidara was only a step from the pink goddess as she backed up against the window. He could see her more clearly, see the slight shadow under her eyes, the bit of sweat of her neck, the slight imperfections of humans — and it only stimulated him more. 

Sakura shivered under Deidara’s gaze of undisguised yearning, that pure desire seeking her. It made her feel like the goddess he believed she was and she almost fell to the ground when her knees turned weak without warning. “D-Deidara…” An animal lust entered her eyes like a spell. Before she could re-think her actions, she already stepped forward and fell in his arms, her legs shaking and body wet. That’s when she noticed her body was extra sensitive to the point that even the feel of cold air on her naked skin sent her into a tender mess. Was it because her body was ‘new’ in this dream? Every sense is twice as ignited than I had ever felt before! 

Sakura hissed as a painless searing heat came over her and she gaped. Breathing heavily, she clutched onto the artist’s broad shoulders as her body became an inferno of heat and lust. She moaned when a smooth yet large palm trailed down her back and held her hips, the feeling of a pair of soft lips on each side. 

“Hnn…” Deidara licked his lips. “It seems like an aphrodisiac property has been added to this body you have entered, my goddess. I would apologize you have been sent to revive in such a sinful body, but I cannot. If you will grant my wish…” He blew in her ear to her disaster and smirked, “I will grant you yours.”

Th-This sinful man…! Sakura dropped all pretense and simply dove to his lips as her answer and a passionate kiss ensued. Tongues wrapped around each other as his hands cradled her hips and he grinded against her. Sliide, slideeee.

After a while, they broke apart to catch a breath and Deidara tugged down his pants while lifting one leg with the other hand. Guiding her leg to wrap around his waist, the pants fell and his member slid against her clit and up her stomach. She felt his veins and thickness slide against her when she leaned against the window sill behind her and propped her ass on the ledge. Wrapping her other leg around him, she grinded.

Suddenly, she felt the wet licks of his hands sliding up her waist to her stomach and up her sides until they came to her full breasts. Those long fingers squeezed while those mouths on his palms lapped against her breaks, tongues out licking her mounds fully. Sakura arched her back when those mouths encompassed her nipples and played with her naughtily. “Nnn..!” She cried out.

Deidara chuckled deeply at her reactions and whispered against her ear, his foxy eyes narrowing, “Do you like that, Sa-ku-ra?” His hot breath against her neck sent more shivers down her spine and she moaned. “Don’t worry, kitten, I’ll satisfy you. So wet, love.”

Deidara backed up a bit so his tip only just touched her hole. Then he took his hand and gave one last squeeze before sliding down to her center and that wicked tongue entered inside her. 

“Ahh!” Sakura cried at the extreme sensations that followed. The slightest touch drove her mad. “N-No, it’s to-too much! It feels so good!” Her eyes watered with tears as shocks and tingles scalded her skin with pleasure. And then Deidara once more captured her full lips while his palms licked her in and out. That long tongue swirled inside her, reaching every point of pleasure and she became a wet mess. 

“Yes, love, feel it. Take it in. Become putty in my hands.” Deidara murmurred as he stole her lips, lapping them and biting while he played with her body.

A long time passed before he released her and she fell back completely against the glass window. Her breath heavy as her chest heaved under those wickedly playful eyes. Deidara had long removed his clothes and he propped his naked self against her before lifting her up so her ass tilted upwards — and entered.

“Ahhh!” Sakura screamed as his length thrust deep inside her, reaching further than that tongue did and the angle gave him access to a part she never had touched before. “Ah, ah, ah!” He grunted as he moved inside her, rocking her to him and hitting her deep. Thrust, thrust, thrust. 

Her full breasts bounced before his eyes as he pounded harder into her — and came. Cum filled her and she collapsed against his hard chest in satisfaction…only for him to move again, harder and harder until she couldn’t hold back her moans. 

Looking up, Sakura could see the longing in his blue gaze, the worship and desire naked and pure. It took her breath away. The sheer need in his eyes thrilled her fully as he rocked her. That’s when a dam of desire broke inside her and she licked her lips wickedly like a lioness on the prowl. Grasping his shoulder, she moved with him, bouncing and claiming him as her own.

They rode each other like feral beasts and those second mouths licked her all over in heated trails. They fucked until the moon began to fall and a soft light barely lit the studio. As they laid on the floor, and he kissed her hair, Deidara spoke, “You are my salvation, with your perfect imperfections and the light of your eyes, you claimed me as your own.” 

Sakura snuggled into his embrace and she kept silent as she listened to his heart beat. Slowly, the man began to breathe steadily and fall into a deep slumber. When more time has passed, she looked up at the graceful beauty of this strange artist. 

In the studio where they laid, she could smell clay, paint and the sweat of her man — it was an intoxicating mix. The smell of this hub of creativity gave her a sense of art being born, of love and where she felt the most sensual and free. Sakura thought about how she didn’t feel ashamed of her body anymore — of how the corset she used to wear would signify her curves were too much and her waist too wide. None of that mattered. She felt reborn out of the clay this man spun…

In this studio, she felt like the goddess of creation herself.

And she fell to sleep with a true smile. 

  
…In the soft silence of the night, a small yellow fire lit over her forehead before disappearing into the center of her brows.

  
[Dream Three Complete]

[Reward: Let Nothing Limit Yourself. You Are the Master of Your Body. Property of No One.]  
[Second Reward: Awakening. Godmother’s Prediction Held True — Magic Channel Opened. Rare Second Stage of Spell Opened. Trials Updated.]  
[Dream Worlds Updated]

[…If the Lady’s Soul Isn’t True, Spell Will Collapse]

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AUTHOR NOTE: 

  
YOOO! WitchySkies here! 

Well, that’s the third one down! YESSSS. Did I pull off Deidara right?

And as suggested, the dreams will level up due to … interferences. Yes, plural hahaha.

On the other hand, starting school up again in October so I’ll be working hard to meet the deadline for this story (I am working on multiple series for writing practice, but I want to finish this story before going back to college. So, keep an eye out!)

I hope you enjoyed the story thus far and tell me if I got the heat up or needs work?

Thanks as always and love the reviews, you seriously made my day.

As always, please review and let me know what attracted you to Akatsuki or the other shinobi XD Or just say hi lolol

See ya next time,

WitchySkies!

P.S. Working on other series once/twice a week. I’m writing a shit ton this month because October will be hella busy so there’s that. Please follow this story to keep updated etc.

P.S.S. If you like Sakura in different scenarios, check out my world hopping Sakura story. It’s more comedy but there will be hot stuff later on. I’ll be doing a different “world” by arcs. First arc is Konoha typical village, but she has her bff (enemy) plot system forcing her to focus on the mission of the world. After this arc, it’ll be varied like Uchiha CEOs and etc.

P.S.S.S. Idk if I want to update the teen sakura stories I made when I was, like, a preteen yet but I feel bad so I’ll see what I can do later if anyone curious. I will finish it, but it’s going to take time.

Well, have a great day and let’s drink soju one day! 


	4. An Eternal Doll

**Chapter Four: “An Eternal Doll”**

“No Matter What They Created, Artists Need Guts,  
And They Never Back Down.”  
 **—On the Dedication to Create Art—**

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“Hello again.” Sakura sighed out. Sure enough, within the blink of an eye, three men sat on the couch in front of her. Just like that — Poof! “So, um, you should get to know each other.”

“Sakura.” Both Itachi and Kakashi growled out as they blocked her way. Deidara, not to be undone, also stood by the velvet chair where she sat. 

“You tricked us last time, but you aren’t leaving here until we get answers,” Kakashi said.

“Hey, Saku darling, what is this place? Is this where you descended from?” Deidara looked about with a curious smile. “I sense a lot of magical energy in this castle. Nice place, love.”

Sakura smiled awkwardly as she held her hands up in surrender. “Yes, yes. I’ll explain everything. Please sit down however. It is quite uncomfortable to talk with my chin up so high.”

All three men leered down at me when she realized that her outfit probably changed again. She looked down at her clothes and a heavy blush stained her cheeks. “Eek!” Sure she had been naked in front of all them and she wore lingerie around like it were normal pajamas, but today’s outfit was really….really special! “What am I wearing?!”

On Sakura’s body were only white bandages that wrapped around her body, but barely hid anything. Like a half-dressed mummy, the white bands held tight against her chest, emphasizing the plush roundness of her breasts and pushing up the full mounds so her cleavage looked deep. Then it only wrapped a few times around her stomach area loosely, showing large areas of skin, and finally wrapped tightly against her hips. The bandage rolled around her wide hips precariously as it just barely covered her center area before ending like a very short skirt. 

Sakura’s face burned with embarrassment as she felt their eyes crawl over her. If she moved even a bit, who knew what would fall? She was pretty sure the bandage didn’t completely cover her ass as she could feel the velvet cushions directly. Wrapping her arms around her chest, she squeaked out, “You can stop staring now!”

Itachi only smirked, “Is this another present to be unwrapped?”

Sakura glared at him, but it only served to make it tempting to pull those defiant arms away…The men gulped as their eyes darkened. She pouted, “I don’t choose the outfits, okay?!” Crap, if she stayed here, she’d be held down until midnight if the previous days proved nothing else. Sakura eyed the three men who could help her escape — Itachi was secretly a devilish type. Kakashi was a definite no being a rogue. And that left…

With wide eyes, Sakura batted her eyelashes a couple times and called out to Deidara with a mewl, “Deidara…Can you do me a favor?”

“A-Anything, love.” Deidara leaned over the edge of her chair with a wide grin while the other two frowned. 

She crooked her finger at him and when he leaned further, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “It is of grave importance that I make it upstairs, fourth room to the left. If you could take me there, I’ll owe you.”

Without hesitation, Deidara simply winked down at her mischievously and he quickly spat out two white clay balls from the mouths on his palms and said, “Life is a bang with you, love!” And threw it below him.

 **BANG!!** Two smoke bombs exploded and the other men leaped back. When the smoke faded, Deidara had already ran halfway up the stairs with Sakura carried in his arms bridal style.

“SAKURAAAA!!!” Once again the two men roared as they gave chase.

Sakura laughed while Deidara stuck his tongue out, blonde ponytail flying behind him in an elegant tail and his dark suit emphasized his sparkling blue-gray eyes as they ran from the dangerous lovers like a pair of bandits into the night. And just like that, they jumped straight into the fourth room —

And vanished in dazzling white light.

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The two landed in a dungeon. Unlike others, this one looked extremely clean and even a bit homey. There were a small dining table, a pair of chairs, a soft bed and a wall full of standing coffins and dangling handcuffs. And standing in the middle room was an extremely beautiful man…holding an eerily realistic puppet. 

She was shocked to see such a realistic puppet that it almost looked like a real person being carved into by such an enchanting yet spooky man. So Sakura did the first thing she could do…she jumped out of Deidara’s arms as she curtsied and said politely, “Hello, sorry to bother you. My name is Sakura and this is Deidara. Nice to meet you.” Inside her mind, she groaned at her lack of creativity. 

The man glared at them with gray eyes that were flecked with red that burned bright like his hair. “How did you get in here? It is impossible without permission from the lord. Did you kill the guards on the way in? You used teleportation so you might be a highly skilled witch, but bewarned, I am a much worst mage.” He stood up agressively and held out his hands as black magic swirled around him. As he did, puppets stepped out of their coffins and the one dropped on the ground also rose. 

And within one minute of stepping in this dream, Sakura found herself targeted by five life-sized puppets who looked eeriely like real people. A pair of grandparents, a middle age couple it seemed and a woman — the one who was on the floor and unfinished judging from the half-painted wood. 

“Wait! We’re not intruders! I just dropped here from a dream cast by my fairy godmother so please calm down!” On instinct, she could feel the pull of dark magic and unconsciously reacted by surrounding herself with the magic that came from within like a barrier. 

The mage paused in his spell and tilted his head curiously. “Your magic has the echo of the blessed fae on it. You mentioned a fairy godmother?”

“Yes. She sent me here.”

Deidara was prepping to throw more bombs, but as soon as Sakura called upon a magical barrier, he stopped what he was doing and simply listened to the interesting pair with a happy grin. Life was full of color ever since his masterpiece summoned the goddess. He didn’t care where she came from, he only cared that she stayed with him. 

“Well, since you politely introduced yourselves after invading my humble abode, I’ll tell you. I am Sasori. Now,” Sasori smiled gently but then a dozen barely visible clear strings came out of nowhere and tied Sakura up. Her arms were held above her while her legs were spread apart as she was held a few inches off the ground. 

“Eek!”

Sasori than raised a brow at Deidara and mused, “You seem to be an artist as well. I saw the clay in your palms. Quite an unusual skill you have. I recall talk of a village where a mad artist who could create creations of explosive power secluded himself. How are you with this woman?”

“She came from my masterpiece like a bang. So if you harm her, I will have to use my creations against you.” He smirked, but the steel in his eyes were clear.

“I have no intention. If she is your masterpiece with a bang, then she is a muse to me. She is wrapped like the most beautiful doll waiting to be perfected.” Sasori trailed the back of his knuckles against the bindings on her chest. “Exquisite body.”

“You better not preserve her for eternal shit either, sand man. I’ve heard of the artist who sought eternal beauty in his creations, which, frankly, is an insult against life’s greatest creations.”

“Let’s agree to disagree. But I won’t do such a base thing to her. He leaned in to study her face while Sakura waited for him to tell her what was going on. “Her eyes are brighter than any I’ve ever seen. To see them fade away as a puppet would only take away her beauty…” He sighed softly before a black glow covered his index finger and he sliced through bindings.

Instantly, her breasts bursted out from the bindings and wobbled a bit at the sudden release. Sasori clasped the full mounds and rubbed his thumbs against her nipples as he watched her expressions. 

Sakura moaned and glared down at him. “Hey, I’ve been quiet while you babbled on. What are you trying to do?” She ignored the heat in her body and the impulse to see that stoic beautiful face warp into ecstasy. He was too beautiful to be a man and not in a feminine way like Deidara, but like a …a fae. “Are you related to the fae?”

“Oho, so you put two and two together. Such a smart woman.” He smiled and said, “Yes, I am half-fae, but my mother was cast out for going against her perfect parents’ wishes in falling for a human. And so she died with heartbreak due to the cursed fae parents of hers. If my father wasn’t human then they could have been together and lived forever. Only in that forever could the beauty of their love be witheld. Showing that beauty is the purpose of my art…but the man who pays my bills says otherwise.” 

Deidara snorted, “I disagree, but I can see your reasoning. I can respect that.”

Sasori glanced at him, “Not that I need your respect, but likewise to your art, short-sighted as it is.”

“Can’t you take a compliment?!” Deidara growled then went up to Sakura and played with the strings, watching as one trailed against her thigh emphasizing it’s temptuous plumpness. “Does it hurt, my love?” he whispered.

Sakura looked away with a blush, “No. Surprisingly it doesn’t.”

“How curious.” Sasori’s gray eyes trailed down her body. “Why don’t you use your magic to release yourself?”

“If I knew how to do that, I would! I’m not here for fun!”

“You looked like you were having a bit of fun.” Deidara whistled.

“Shut up, Deidara!” She glared up at the blonde artist who seemed to be laughing at her being tied up by puppet strings.

Deidara gave her a lop-sided smile while he enjoyed her angry expression. Heh. The more he saw of her human side, the more he fell in love. She was much more alive, much more beautiful than his so-called perfect masterpiece. Sakura was proof that life’s true beauty was being his explosive ideas…and this puppet-man’s ideas of eternity. And he was going to prove it. 

So he grabbed Sasori’s shoulder and talked to him on the side, pointing at Sakura and saying things like “she’ll show you your art is shallow compared to life’s true beauty” and “she was a literal goddess who descended on my masterpiece so maybe that’s why we’re here” and just glossing over how he met her.

Sasori peeked at her curiously as his fellow artist told his story. “How interesting…” When he gave it some thought, he walked back toward the caught flower and said, “I have a proposal.”

Sakura glared suspiciously at the two crazy artists, “And what shall that be?” She tugged at her wrists. “As you can see, I’m caught up at the moment.”

The ethereal beauty chuckled, a light husky voice that sounded like they held the wind itself, “I can show you how to wield your magic properly. The normal way would take years of training, but there is a quicker way…” Then he narrowed his eyes like a cunning sand devil. “There is a faster way…but it requires joining our spirits for a time.” He grinned wickedly. “It is much more intimate than any physical sexual connection. Bewarned it can be called the greatest ecstasy of the mages, fae and beyond. _**Do you dare to try?**_ ”

Sakura took a good look at the mysterious mage. For all his beauty - his gray eyes flecked with fire, that gorgeous stunning red hair and the perfect proportions of his face with a jawline to test her — he had been cold since they dropped in his dungeon-home-place. He was a doll without feelings, but now…he completely changed into a wicked devil with that hot gaze and knowing smile. She gulped, “This better show me how to wield my magic.”

“Of course. I never make promises I don’t keep.” And with that he held her head with both hands and said, “Relax, let me into your mind and we can begin…” His dark magic glowed from his hands and soon Sakura’s own magic reacted. Light sparkles and a small yellow flame floated in the center of her brows. 

Sakura’s eyes fluttered closed as she felt their magic embracing her and warming her skin. She could feel Sasori’s magic guide hers throughout her body and like her mind was a corridor whose doors all swung open, the power thrummed all over her. Like she was the wind and flame itself, she lost herself to the power and just sunk in its depths in pure ecstasy. “Ahhh!” she moaned.

Sasori also felt the addictive connection and sweat matted his forehead as he tried to control the forces within. He gritted his teeth as his eyes shone, “Your power is greater than I imagined, my dear.” 

Deidara watched the two of them jealously, but since he encouraged this, he could only step back…but he was also curious about this ecstasy they went on about. He looked at his hand and the mouth that was a magical ability in itself. Was there a way to join in…?

And on cue, as if the mage read his mind, Sasori called out to Deidara, “You! You have adequate energy channels for this — that ability is too powerful to use otherwise. Come help channel some of her power or we might ruin my home.” Sakura’s sparkling magic was overpowering the dark mage as it began to cocoon around him. “Hurry or I’ll have to resort to extreme measures! Just grab her shoulders and you’ll see!”

“R-Right!” Deidara ran over and did as he was told. Immediately, torrents of power surged into him and like a sea of pleasure that kissed every magic channel, he felt the ecstasy he only dreamt of. “Sh-Shit.” He grinned. “S-Sakura…”

And so the three of them became infused with each others’ magic…and soon accessed the source aka the spirit of their cores. And the peak of ecstasy took over them all. After a long while, Sasori, sweating, let go of Sakura’s head while she panted in her bindings and Deidara fell to his knees. For a moment, the only thing they could was take deep breaths. The energy was extreme and it was addicting and even now, the thrum of power didn’t completely fade. Sasori threw off his shirt Sakura eyed the perfect abdomen, the flawless skin and sculpted muscles…and she imagined all that dark power that was barely contained in that lean body. 

With heated eyes, Sakura took in the panting men and licked her lips. She still recalled that buzz of ecstasy. She could feel her magic was more responsive to her wishes and found that if she wanted, she could manipulate it to cut the strings, but a more enjoyable idea came to mind…“I don’t think I can completely use my magic yet…I think…I need more simulation.”

The men froze and slowly eyed her. Sasori gave her a knowing look while Deidara gulped.

“Your wish is my command, woman.” Like her, he didn’t completely recover from the extreme, sweet ecstasy and immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her. Wrapping his tongue on hers, his long delicate fingers roughly at the bindings around her hips, cutting with just a little magic focused on his fingertips, and rubbed his thumbs in circles on her bare skin. He listened to her moans and tugged her closer.

Deidara came from behind her and licked the back of her neck slowly, dragging that long tongue up from her base to her ear and both his large palms squeezed her ass and fondled. “Mm, Sakuraaa…” he breathed out sexily. 

Sakura fell into their hands like putty as the puppet strings held her hands above her head and lept her legs spread apart in the air. She let herself stay tied up, excited to see what they would do next. No matter how long she hung, the strings never gave her pain and she had a feeling it was due to Sasori’s influence. She licked her lips slowly when Sasori released her as her hunger only grew. 

Sasori stepped back to appreciate the beauty in his arms and ordered Deidara, “Make sure she is wet with those palms of yours.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice — and I’m doing it for her not you.” He let the tongues of his hands enter Sakura’s fold as they played with clit and licked deep inside her. One palm in front, one palm came from underneath. And while he held this position, the blonde artist nibbled on her neck, kissing and sucking as he took in her sweet scent. “Nnn…”

Sasori cut the strings holding her legs apart and carried them with his own hands as he guided them around his waist. In an unspoken agreement, Deidara moved his hands away and licked a bit of the juice off his palm. Then he held up Sakura’s mounds, pinching her nipples and squeezing — he only paused to grab her chin and kissed her from behind.

Sasori focused and with a flick of his fingers, more strings wrapped around Sakura’s legs and held them up so her knees bent as her legs were spread apart. Satsified, he entered two fingers in her hole, thrusting in and out to test her slickness. He entered a third finger and studied her expressions. With a sadistic grin, he stopped and watched her brows scrunch together cutely. “Do you want something bigger?”

“Yes, Sasori, yes. Please…” She begged. The high from before made her lose her reason as she begged the sensual man to enter her already.

“Then ask for my big cock, Sakura, and tell me what you want from me.” 

Sakura blushed heavily, but stuttered out, “P-Please give your big c-cock…I need you. I want you to pound in me and ride me hard. Please…Sasori!” She moaned when Deidara bit her ear and felt his member already sliding against her buttcheeks and the tip hit her lower back.

Sasori chuckled and placed his tip at her entrance before glaring at the cheeky blonde, “I’m first.” Then he entered her, watching as she gasped and moaned as he slid in slowly, his thickness spreading her lower lips apart in a tight kiss. 

“Ahhh!” Sakura screamed when the full length stuffed her and began to move — his thrusts slid in and out steadily before they picked up. Faster. Faster. “Ah, ah, ah!”

Meanwhile, Deidara circled a thumb around her asshole and his finger entered that chrysanthemum. “That-a-girl…” he breathed out. “Take me in.” The finger thrust in and out and when the flower loosened a bit, he took it out and replaced it with his palm, letting the mouth there take over. 

Soon Sakura felt a wet slick tongue enter her asshole while Sasori’s dick pounded into her. Coupled with the remnants of the magical ecstasy, she could toss her head back and scream in pleasure, “Ahhhhh!” Her voice echoing in the dungeon.

Deidara played with her until he was sure she was wet enough. Then he placed his tip against her backside and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to heighten your ecstasy, love. Take us both in and we’ll satisfy you — we’ll ride you hard.” Their little magic infusion left them in an aphrodisiac state, which meant this would be the perfect time to experiment. Licking his lips seductively, he entered her ass. 

Sakura could only ride them as both men plunged inside her. Her breasts bounced at their perfectly timed rhythym. Sasori nuzzled his face between those peaches as he thrust into her like a man starved. For many long nights, the only thing to keep him company were his puppets and the memories of his lost parents. The lord of the castle that held him only used him for weaponizing his creations…it was all he knew to do. Nothing brought him purpose besides creating that which was banned anywhere else in the kingdom. Nobody would accept an orphan who used dark magic. And so he lived much of his days alone — an empty puppet of a man abandoned by all. 

But then this delectable fairy fell into his arms and suddenly, the empty puppet found a spark of life and he wanted to suck it all in. He bit her breast before nuzzling his nose into her long hair, whispering softly, “I feel alive with you.” He wanted her. All of her. He couldn’t imagine another night in this dungeon without her. Whether this was because of their magical infusion or because he really grew insane to fall for a stranger, he was already addicted her. And he regretted nothing.

He didn’t care how many men became obsessed with her, in his heart she was already his. And so he captured her lips once more and made sure to lick every nook and cranny, to leave her with his taste in her mouth. “Sakura…You are mine.”

She wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t a fae. And she was never going to be only his judging from her partner that came with her. Just holding her went against all his beliefs and artistic philosophy.

And yet.

He couldn’t give her up, not this light in the darkness. She completely overpowered him and sustained him with her very presence and it drove him mad. To pretend it didn’t exist would only be a lie. There were many regrets he had in life, but he didn’t want to regret this chance to his salvation. His art gave him meaning, the search for eternal beauty gave him a mission, but salvation? The light to break his cursed drowning darkness? That never happened or he’d never stay in this isolated dungeon, starved of the basics of a true life.

Sakura changed everything.   
She changed him.

And he wasn’t going to let her go.

With these feelings, he released himself into her and breathed in her essence — her scent of honey and flowers and a unique smell that only belonged to Sakura. Even her sweat only aroused him. Her soft skin, her pliant body and those eyes…Sasori growled as he bit into her neck and tasted a little of her blood. 

“Ah!” Pain and pleasure mixed as Sakura felt both men cum into her. She collapsed on Sasori’s shoulders and smiled, “That was —“ before she could finish, they pounded into her again and she could only release animalistic moans and screams. Like dogs in heat, the two came into her over and over again until she was but jelly in their arms.

It was a long night before they could find satisfaction and by then Sakura was covered in sweat, her naked body long released from her binds and they laid on the floor together. Deidara had his arm around her waist while Sasori clutched her head to his chest and laid his chin on top of her soft hair. 

Sakura didn’t have the strength or energy to move let alone think and so fell into a pleasant dream. _I…Still didn’t figure out how to complete the dream…_ But she lost her thought and entered a deep slumber as the men held her safely between them.

Once more, the spell’s voice resounded though no one could hear it now:

[Dream Four Under Review…]

[Godmother Judges Results: Magic Skill Obtained]  
[Fae Agree]

[Result: Dream Four Complete]  
[Reward: The Lady Steps Onto the Path of the Moon and Stars. May Her Heart Hold True and Gain Inheritance or Spell Will End].

[Side Reward: Pledge of a Dark Mage. Potential Guardians Route Opened]

  
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**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Good Morning, Love! (Replace me with Deidara haha)

Here is another love note from this magical story (ok, ok I’ll stop!). I do hope you enjoy this chapter and everyone gets some moment to themselves from work and other issues sent from the dark forces (sauron+voldemort+elves with no socks). While I’m no Yotsuba, I’d like to imagine my writing helps give some people a little vacation. A nice escape from their day and just reset, ya know? A bit of smutty relaxation aha!

So, if I did, I’m happy.

On another note, what do you think of Sasori and Deidara teaming up? The next dreams will be a mix of characters so we’ll see. Can Sakura make it to the rooms in one piece? Will she pull mental warfare? Can she learn to fly?! (Ok, that’s my first worry. If I discovered magic, I sure as hell want to be able to fly! Look at all those airfare savings! Let’s go broom!)

And as usual, if you can, please review and tell me what you think! Or if you just like Deidara’s hands XD Cause I’d be — anywhooooo~ Moving on hahahaha!

The year’s almost over at least. Plus election. And at least Mulan finally came out — not bad. I’m usually a romantic *cough* but when it comes to fighting female bad asses, I prefer to see their kick ass side more than the romance. And I love me some ‘feel the force’ vibes~ Ok, I won’t say more!

Ok, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! 

Kisses and Chocolates,

WitchySkies *Mwah!*


	5. Chapter Five: “Caged in Sand, Forgotten Tears”

**Chapter Five: “Caged in Sand, Forgotten Tears”**

“They Called Me a Monster,  
So I Became One.”  
 **—Who Remembers the Unwanted?—**

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Sakura once more sat on the velvet chair and she immediately jumped off — only to be caught by a pair of arms. 

“Now where would you be running of to, Sakura?” Itachi gazed down at her gently with that soft smile, but his hands held her like steel. “It’s been a while since we had a chance to properly talk.”

“Y-Yes, right you are, Itachi.” Sakura laughed awkwardly. “What shall we —“ 

Itachi pressed his lips to hers and stuck his tongue in a hungry dance. His fingers ran through her long hair before he cradled the back of her neck and kissed her deeper. Just before Sasori could tear him apart, the warrior released her and licked his lips. “It’s great to see you again, Sakura dear.”

A heavy blush stained her cheeks as her lips still tingled from his touch. “H-Hello to you, too, Itachi.” Well, that wasn’t the reaction she expected. _I wonder if the popular ladies of court dealt with this everyday? No wonder they dared to play around with the King and Princes. Who knew men outside court were more sensual._

Sakura obliviously felt everybody had more experience than her in this field and once they exited this dream world, these handsome men will go on with their lives. After all, she may be a noble lady, but she wasn’t Godmother Ella — now she was a real beauty with that blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes full of strength and kindness. And besides, this was only a dream world…While she was here, she wanted to believed she was truly loved even if for the moment. So she smiled up at Itachi, “I enjoyed your greeting.”

“Hn. Shall I greet you like this every morning?” He grinned devilishly.

Sakura only winked back, getting into a flirting mood she hadn’t really explored before. But then she sighed and said, “Actually, I have something to tell you.” She stood up from her seat and the four men surrounded her. She frowned, but let it slide as she did trick them the last couple of times…”I won’t run away, but you need to listen. So if you don’t mind, please have a seat. I’ll let you know what I know about this place. If you have any questions, you may ask me after, but I can’t guarantee I know the answers.”

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair and sat down first, propping his foot over his knee so he crossed his leg in a wide manner, and said, “About time, princess. Aren’t you snobs going to sit down? I want to listen to the woman.”

Sakura raised a brow. Of all the men here, Kakashi was the last person she expected to say that. He seemed so…rough. It was a nice surprise. “Thank you, Kakashi.”

And so, after everyone settled, Sakura explained the situation in hopes that no one blocked her path. She managed to escape the last couple times, but now there were four men to play around with and she didn’t have the energy to keep thinking up strategies. It was fun to mess around though…But time is of the essence! Hence, it was time to be direct. “…And that’s how I ended up here. So if we are to stay in this castle until the twelve nights are up, I have to continue to complete the missions. I do not know what happens after the dreams, but I’m sure my godmother will explain things to you. I honestly have no idea why you’re here after the dreams end, but here we are. If I fail to complete the dreams, I fear this may be the last we see of each other.”

Sakura bowed. “While I’m sure you are eager to go back to your daily lives, I hope you can lend me your help in this matter, although I do not have much to offer you. But do not fear, I was told after the twelve nights are up and we return to our places, not a single second will pass.” After her speech, the men stayed silent and Sakura wondered if they would be fed up with staying in the castle after all. 

Suddenly Kakashi broke the silence with an angry glare, “Why do you sound like you’re burdening us with your problems? Do you really not understand anything?” He stood up and grasped her wrist, the black and red eyes burning with a simmering heat. “Sakura, do you honestly not know why we are here?”

“U-Um…” Sakura squeaked. Why was he angry? Back in court, the lords and ladies would have trysts and it was all very open — the lords played around while the ladies played coy. It was the only freedom the younger nobles had as their marriages were already set against their wills in the first place. Since she had only met these men in a dream world and they knew that, she assumed they were all in accord. After all, who would fight over her? Maybe trysts had some code of manner she messed up? Whatever the case, there was no way she’d reveal she wasn’t as experienced as she pretended to be. So she came up with a plausible answer, “Because…we are under a spell and you can’t return home?” 

“Yes and no.” Kakashi leaned closer. “You are _not_ a burden. You are mine. I’m here because you’re here. Do you understand? If what you said about the spell is true, then our souls were going to be driven to madness until you came. With that logic, you, stupid woman, are the one completed our souls. We are here for you.”

“…!” Sakura’s breath got caught in her throat as she finally comprehended his confession. “Kakashi…I’m flattered, but whose to say the spell isn’t affecting your heart? While I pride myself on my looks, I am not foolish to believe all of you would just fall in love with me. And since even you got caught in this fallacy, I am duty bound to help set you straight. I do not know if this is a love spell betwitching you as a result from this world, but I do not want to take advantage of you that way.” She smiled gently up at the menacing man and held his cheek with her palm. “Please forgive my disbelief, but I do not want you to hate me once the spell is over.” 

Sakura had a feeling that the magic in this spell was powerful — and apparently powerful enough to fool twelve men to fall in love with her at this rate. She wasn’t a love goddess so that feat would be impossible without great magic involved. Until the end of the dreams, though, she wanted to continue exploring herself and her future so if they wanted to to join her in this sexual exploration while the dreams ran, she wouldn’t say no. There was enough talk in the hidden nooks of the castle that showcased how men really thought.

…She wasn’t taking advantage of these men, was she?

Before she could ponder ethics in magical experiences further, Kakashi pulled her toward him — only to be separated from her by Itachi. The taller man gave the rogue a look and surprisingly, Kakashi backed down and let him take over the talk. 

_…They seemed way too cooperative._

“If you need to be in the dream by midnight, then let us escort you.” Itachi bowed and held out his hand like a true gentleman. If he hadn’t kissed the daylights out of her, she would have been fooled by his genle smile. “Please, Sakura. Allow us this one pleasure. It has been a while since we talked to you.” 

Sakura gingerly took his hand, but wondered why Itachi said ‘we’ a lot. Did he team up with Kakashi? That rogue? She eyed the silver-haired rogue suspiciously, but the man only grinned at her and stood by her side. “Well, thank you.”

And so, the four men escorted her up the stairs. Somehow Kakashi and Itachi took the front and managed to block Deidara and Sasori to the back of the group. Other than that, Sakura was surprised that they escorted so calmly.

Suddenly the warrior went against the magic-users and kicked them to the wall before jumping into the room with Sakura. Kakashi called out right as he closed the door behind me, “Since you had your fun, I’m sure you won’t mind.”

Deidara cursed, “Fucking swordsman. All assholes.”

Sasori glowered at the door and tried to turn the handle — it didn’t budge. “It seems it’s war. Shall we ally together, Deidara?”

…………………………..

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Sakura crashed into sand as soon as she entered the dream. “Argh!” She groaned as she got to her knees. Talk about an entrance! She could see Itachi and Kakashi in the distance when suddenly sand rose around them and trapped them in it’s embrace. “Itachi! Kakashi!” Their heads were free, but the rest of their bodies were completely encased in a sand cocoon.

She ran towards them, but the sand at her feet slowly tugged her down and she began to sink. What was happening?! She panicked, but remembered there was always somebody in these dreams and she wouldn’t die so easily without a way out during a godmother’s spell. 

Taking a deep breath, she slowed her movements and studied the area. In her panic, she hadn’t noticed the crowds watching her sink and realized this was a colisseum. But how? These were banned in her kingdom for ages…How far did the dream world expand?

Focus, Sakura. She scanned the huge arena and found amongst the sand pit that made up the entire floor of the colisseum, a lone man stood unscathed. With short dark red hair, eyes outlined in black liner and a strange black tattoo on his temple. He seemed like one of the sand tribe people who occassionally sold wares in her castle’s open markets. This was the first time she’s ever seen or heard of them using sand magic.

The man raised his hand and clenched his fist and suddenly the sand rose around her as the crowd cheered. Sakura swore as she instinctively called upon deep inside her and summoned a light barrier around just as the sand collided with it’s screens. FWISH!

The man’s eyes widened before they narrowed and an insidious aura formed around him and he pointed and moved his hands in simple motions. Sand shot for her. He moved his hand and a wave of sand formed a large cone of sand that charged to pierce her shields. Itachi and Kakashi yelled her name as the sand lashed at her barrier harder and fiercer. 

Sakura yelled out, “Hey! Why are you doing this?! We’re not enemies!”

“You are my opponent!” He sneered and moved his arms wildly as more sand tried to pierce at her, but her barrier held. “DIE!!!” Like a beast whose been trapped in its cage for years, he completely lost control to his rage and those tattoos glowed orange. Suddenly a visible energy wrapped around him as a orange beast made of pure energy enveloped the lone man. It grew in size until it was a quarter of the field and towered over her as it reached the skies. 

Sakura’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tell me I have to fight that thing.” _Shit. I have nothing to lose!_ She focused deep inside her and felt out her magic as she did in Sasori’s dungeon. More and more power surrounded her as she let her magic grow higher and higher until she was floating in the air, a glowing goddess in sparkling magic. Itachi and Kakashi were shocked at the sight of the lady’s power and their thoughts ran as they stared in appreciation, awe…and growing desire.

Once again, the man’s eyes widened and he asked, “State your name, opponent. You are a worthy contendor.”

“I am Sakura. And what is yours?”

“I am called Gaara of the Sand. The devil of the sand tribes cast here for the sin of being born.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I came here by the will of my godmother to meet you. If you will, we can leave this place together.”

“Don’t talk foolishly. You think I would believe such nonsense? There is no escape from these walls! This is the Grand Colisseum of which no one can escape its spelled bounds and all are slaves. If you will not tell me of your origins, so be it. Let us continue our fight to the death!” He chaged at her and a giant paw slashed down at her.

Sakura dodged and raised her arm. “I guess I’ll have to fight to get you to listen, huh? Fine! But I WILL take you away from here, Gaara!” That had to be the reason she was sent here. It was obvious — his soul was stuck in this colisseum so the lesson must be to free him! “I’ll force you to listen!” Magic shot out of her hand and the paw clashed against her burst of magic. 

Gaara drew his hand back and hissed. “You are strong.”

“Thank you. It’s a surprise to me, too.”

“Stop talking in riddles!!” Enraged, Gaara roared and the beast echoed his roar so the whole arena shook at his voice. Tornadoes of sand spun all over the field and surrounded her. Sakura peeked down at her men and saw they were still tucked away safely despite the chaos.

Huh. For a beserk angry man, he either didn’t randomly kill those not in an official duel with him out of honor or he was waiting to kill her first. In any case, they were too safe when the entire field was a battlefield of tornadoes. He had many opportunities to make it tough on me by targeting them. Maybe…he didn’t really want to kill.

Suddenly the tornadoes rose higher and higher until they towered over her and fell onto her as a mountain sand that sought to engulf her. 

“SAKURAAAA!!!” 

Sakura was completely encased in the floating mountain of sand. She almost suffocated under the sand prison. In a desperate bid, she channeled all her power from within and let the magic completely burst out of her.

BOOOOOM!!!

The explosive magic disperesed the sand prison into a mere cloud and Gaara was struck down by the whiplash as he crashed to the ground.

Sakura found herself floating to the ground through her own power and was amazed. She had never used her magic on this scale before. When she landed, she walked up to the fallen man and saw him barely stagger to his feet, his eyes still lost to his power. The crowds cheered and a dark anger filled her. She channeled her power again and this time blasted away with the man while pulling Itachi and Kakashi’s sand cocoons up to follow behind her. In an instant, the group disappeared from the colisseum to the shock of the crowd.

After flying through the skies, Sakura found a small oasis in the desert. She made sure no one was within the area before landing on the sand. As soon as they landed, the sand fell from Itachi and Kakashi and the two instantly ran toward her only to stop short as she raised her hand. She gave them a sharp look and they stood away to let her work. Then she cradled Gaara’s head sent some of her magic into him in a bid to heal his head and also calm the beast within.

Soon, his eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at the beauty. “Y-You…”

“Shh.” She smiled down. “You’re free now. We’re far away from the colisseum. You’re safe now, Gaara.”

“Free? But why? I almost killed you…” Gaara gazed up at her in confusion as he slowly gained his wits back. 

“And I almost killed you. We were plunged in an arena of death, so please, tell me you don’t want to revert back to fighting each other.” The colisseum was known to be a cruel and vicious place where slaves were pitted against each other to the deaths, so while she could fight him, she couldn’t hate him. It disgusted her that the evil still existed.

“…No. I do not want to kill you.” Gaara didn’t know what these feelings were. He just…felt sad he almost killed her in his blindness. She…”I can’t believe you’d spare me. No one spares me.”

“Like I said before, I was sent to help you. And also because you looked like you didn’t want to kill without honor or my friends here would have been suffocated already.” Sakura waved to Kakashi and Itachi. “Come and join us. You don’t have to be in that evil place any longer.”

Gaara struggled to fathom his sudden freedom, but once he gave Sakura a deeper look, he was entranced. For the first time, someone wasn’t afraid of what he could do and who he was. And she was beautiful. “I feel like you are a dream and I’ll wake up in my cage again.” Unbidden tears started to water his eyes, but he blinked them back. “You are called Sakura, yes? Then I owe you my life.” The tattered warrior struggeld to his knees and found his balance before kneeling before her. 

The sand warrior solemnly proclaimed, “You have my vow — I will protect you with my life with this life-debt.” He thumped his bare chest with his fist. “As witnessed by the all-seeing eye of Shukaku.”

“Well, Sakura, now that you’re done with him, pay attention to us.” Itachi walked up to the sitting pair and stooped down to Sakura’s side, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’ve never seen such power before. I knew you were an angel, but I didn’t realize you were a fighting one.” His eyes bore into hers with desire.

Kakashi came to her other side and wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her close to him. “You’ve certainly packed a punch since our last run in with trouble. These dreams are more than saving my rivals, huh? Then I approve. The stronger you are, the safer you can be.” Then he leaned in and whispered, “And you can show me that strength in bed, Sakura.” He smirked.

Sakura blushed at the sudden attacks and soon Itachi finally tasted her lips as Kakashi sunk his teeth into her neck, taking in her scent that eluded him the past few days. Their hands roamed over her body as Sakura became used to their ministrations. 

“Come here, boy.” Kakashi gave a knowing look to Sakura before waving Gaara over. His angel was really quite a greedy little succubus. One minute she was an innocent little princess then the next she was a little devil who played with his mind and he found himself liking it. It was never a dull moment with her. “The lady calls you.”

The gladiator gulped at the sight of his newfound heroine lost to her lust. His heart thumped. He had never been near the fairer sex during his time in the battlefield and even before when he lived in a small village, ostracized by those who feared the mortal child of a sand demon. He couldn’t grasp the depth of his feelings, but he knew he wanted her. And a demonic urge came over him as his eyes flashed.

The desert itself seemed to roil as Gaara lost control of himself for a moment. With shaking hands, he crawled closer to Sakura and he touched her cheek like he was worshipping a goddess.

Kakashi and Itachi gave the two a bit of space and let the young man closer. By now, they had grown accustomed to vying for Sakura with others and realized the only chance at retaining the goddess was through compromise. So they formed an unspoken code of respect for her and acknowledged Gaara as one of the men who will join their league. 

Sakura’s face grew hotter as she realized the other men were working together to let Gaara through. She felt their hot gazes over her and she realized she wasn’t embarrassed. What she felt was…accepted. Sakura had long ago gave up any notion of returning to the life of a prim and proper lady who would only bear children as one would milk a cow. No. She craved a life of freedom and service. The fact that these men welcomed this side of her made her smile. It wasn’t normal, it would certainly have her disinherited, but she didn’t care. 

And so, Sakura pulled Gaara closer and pressed her lips to his. “Let us enjoy our freedom together, Gaara.” She felt the warrior wrap her in his arms and she realized that she barely wore anything in the first place. She was so distracted by escaping than by the battle that she never noticed. Gaara easily pulled off her thin brown dress and marveled at her body. A beastly fire consumed his sanity as he started to ravage her.

“Ahn…!” Sakura moaned as the eager man fondled and licked her all over, his hard hands squeezing her breasts as he rubbed her sides. Just as he was about to lower his pants, Itachi stepped in.

“Slow down or you’ll hurt her. Watch. This is how you treat a woman.” Then like an older comrade teaching his younger peer how to do things for the first time, he moved to spread Sakura’s legs and showed how to get her wet. “Make sure to do this for both of you to receive the maximum pleasure.”

Sakura felt Itachi’s fingers move inside her, teasing her clit and then rubbing within as Gaara watched with an attentive gaze. She blushed at their stares and that’s when Kakashi distracted her by capturing her lips. “Mm!”

His tongue entwined with hers as he explored her mouth and his heterochromia eyes leered down at hers. He played with her lips while something thick pressed against her and she glanced down to see Gaara beginning to enter her. She moaned as his object pressed against her hole and stuffed her slowly as he slid in.

Kakashi watched her expressions with rapture as he gave a wicked smirk then sneered, “You like being watched, don’t you? You little tease!” He let go of her lips then kissed down her neck as he held her upright in his lap while Gaara pressed forward. 

Kakashi bit her neck a bit then held her breasts in his hands, enjoying the way they bounced in his palms like little bunnies. “I’ve missed you, lovelies.” He twisted her nipples a bit then flicked them with his thumbs. 

Sakura hissed in pleasure at the men as Gaara started to pound into her under Itachi’s watch. She screamed when he hit her deepest spot, “Ahhh!”

“That’s it, make her scream. Driver her absolutely insane with pleasure.” Itachi encouraged the red devil of a man like another devil himself. His dark eyes lit in perverse pleasure as Sakura threw her head back in ecstasy. 

And so, the three had a long evening of rapture as Itachi played devil’s advocate to Gaara and eventually taking over when the gladiator had his fill. Like Kakashi, the sharp man knew the only way to keep Sakura tied to them was to compromise with the other souls in her charge. After all, an angel couldn’t be held by any mere mortals in his opinion. 

One by one, they finally released themselves into Sakura as they relished her soft touch, those clear eyes and that happy smile. The woman who suddenly fell into their lives was the only thing keeping them sane. Each one of them were on death’s cusp as various circumstances led them down darker paths.

Sakura was their light. And now revealed to be a most powerful mage herself. If they didn’t tie her affections to them now, no matter the price, then they might just lose her forever to those skies she fell from. 

“Sakura…” **Never leave us.**

Soon they fell asleep in each others’ arms and the world flashed as they disappeared in a burst of light.

Then a voice echoed in the skies,

  
[Dream Five Complete]

[Reward: The Empathy and Insight On When To Still One’s Hand and Show Compassion Towards a Helpless Enemy. Also achieved Higher Harmony With Souls — Link Effect Achieved: Advanced Body Constitution For All in Linked Souls Network Available Once Spell Complete].

And a fairy godmother’s voice rang out in laughter, “Very promising. Gather your guardians, dear one.”

  
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**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Konban Wa! WitchySkies finally got to Gaara! YESSS.

So we’re half-way there! I hope you enjoy this Gaara and I look forward to seeing you next time!

Next chapter: Kisame.

I can’t wait to get to more and more of the men! You bet when Hidan gets involved there will be more heat hahaha

Thanks for reading and please review! 

Loves and kisses,

WitchySkies (who really wished Itachi had his own dating sim game COUGH)

P.S. How do you think Kisame will be in bed? *Raises brows*


	6. Twelve Nights a Lady 6 -- Kisame

**Chapter Six: “Betrayed By The Trusted, Become the Traitor”**

“When Your Hands Are Black in Sin,  
Stained by the Hypocrisy of Nations.”  
 **—On Being a True Shinobi, Used by False Hearts—**

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………………………………………….

Sakura once again opened her eyes to the dark lounge of the castle, but this time the place seemed to glow a bit brighter. The furniture and decor remained the same, but it was as if the tranquil atmosphere smothered the heavy tension of its residents. It was a feeling that was hard to explain.

Then poof — five men now sat on the couches in front and to the side of her. No matter how many times she’s woken up to the sight, it still surprised her. She didn’t understand why this happened, but the men from her dreams always popped up in a poof of smoke as if they were summoned by the spell to join her every morning. As the men were about to speak — 

[ _Welcome back, Sakura Haruno and Company_ ]

The spell’s tranquil voice echoed throughout the castle just like the first day. After each notification, a bell sounded like a church’s toll: 

[ _Due to the soul’s current evolution, you have achieved the minimum requirements to open a new world of opportunity for your last wish. Whether you take the choice is up to you, but it shall not be revealed until the completion of the spell. Failure to complete all twelve dreams will automatically disregard this choice_ ] Ding!

[ _Guardian’s Route officially open. As previously noted, only with completion of spell will details be available. If the souls of the dream wish to become a Guardian, they must complete two requirements: One — help the soul Sakura Haruno complete the twelve dreams and thus the spell. Two — After dream, complete a final quest._ ] Ding!

[ _Last update: The reward’s potential has risen, so the stakes shall rise. Following the Law of Equilibrium in Mage Codex. Trials of the dreams shall rise and only Sakura and one more may enter at a time. Any other soul attempting entry to the dream in question will not be able to enter._ ] Ding!

[ _Now for a reminder of the spell, here are the rules_ :]

[ _ **Wish Upon A Star** spell activated. Fairy Godmother trials begin_]

[ _You will dream a long dream, but it will hold the dream of twelve nights. When you return, not a second will pass by._

_In these dreams, you will find things inside of you that could surprise you…Pay attention to those._

_In these dreams, you can be as open to your desires as you wish. But be of open heart._

_And, finally, in each dream, the spell ends at midnight. — And you will replenish anew for the next dream._

_Your true love may be there or not, but regardless, by solving their entanglements of madness, you will help these poor souls. And discover a part of you sealed up until now. Heed thy warnings, pay attention and be open and you will find your way._ ]

[ _Good luck and **May Your Dreams Come True**_ ]

Ding Dong Ding Dong ——— !!

The wedding bell tolls echoed loudly and after a minute they faded to silence…leaving Sakura to deal with four horny men and a confused ex-gladiator.

“So if you men would be so kind as to fill Gaara in, I’ll have to bid you adieu.” She hurried to get up, but Gaara leapt to his feet first.

“I shall come!” Gaara ran forward to hold her hand up. “Please, I promised to protect you with my life. If you must go, take me.”

Itachi cut in with a frown, “The spell only requires one partner to accompany Sakura and you are still new to this magical realm. Do you really think you can help the lady if you are ignorant of its rules? You should know magic hates to have it’s rules broken.” He lifted Sakura’s hand out of Gaara’s grip and replaced it with his own. “As the first man to arrive, I shall help her with the rising challenge of the next dream.” 

“Now see here!” Deidara glared up at the suave warrior rebelliously, “What makes you better than us?! I can protect the lady just fine!”

“Ha. All you can do is throw bombs around. What she needs is a dark mage of various talents.” Sasori also stepped up. “Now that there’s a limit on how many people can join the lady, our partnership is over, Deidara.”

“Right back at ya, puppet lover.” 

Kakashi shoved the two artists aside and held Itachi’s stare. “So it seems our alliance is over as well, Itachi.”

“It seems so.” The two men clashed as their eyes burned red. “Although I’m curious on how you’ve obtained an eye from my clan, it doesn’t matter. Sakura is in my care now. You can see her later.” The atmosphere quickly returned to its original tension — it was so thick, you could cut it. 

Sakura watched these men fight over her. If she were any other woman, she wagered she’d be incredibly flattered. But instead her temper rose. “Stop! Fighting!” 

Immediately, the tension eased and all five men snapped their eyes to the woman who both freed them and kept them prisoner within this enchanted realm. Her wish was their command if she ever understood that. When she saw that all five of them were paying attention, she said, “I choose Itachi. There! Case solved.” 

“That’s not faiiiiiiir, Sakura!” Deidara whined. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“You haven’t seen me in one night, Deidara.” Sakura rolled her eyes. “And I chose Itachi this time because he can restrain himself. Don’t lie — all of you are wolves in heat!” She put her hands on her hips and huffed. “Itachi is the more gentlemanly of you and until I learn more about what changed in the dream worlds, I can’t risk having my time monopolized.” Her gaze caught the aborted movements of a counter argument from Kakashi. Her eyebrow rose as she focused on him. “Ahem. Don’t try to deny it, Kakashi.”

Then, quietly, Gaara spoke up, “Sakura…Lady…Must you leave so soon?” The once sand warrior looked down at her with naked longing. His eyes started to glisten, “After last night, I can’t bear to see you leave. Must you enter another dangerous world so soon? We can talk for a bit if you simply want to rest.”

Guilt poked at Sakura’s heart at the sight of Gaara’s puppy gaze and she hesitated.

“I don’t trust you puppy boy. Don’t try to sway the lady with your looks.” Kakashi glared at Gaara before he scrunched his brow. He picked up on an idea and said with false innocence, “Huh. The spell said the dream ends at midnight _in each dream._ So if you haven’t entered the dream world, then the deadline doesn’t apply, no?”

Suddenly it grew very quiet. A pin could have dropped and it’d sound like shattering glass.

“Um…” Sakura began to sweat. Oh gods, what could she say to that? If they kept her here for a long while, it wouldn’t be against the rules, but what if they never wanted to leave?! All of them came from hard and potentially strange backgrounds — especially Sasori. She still remembered he had quite a few chains in his dungeon. “Um, I still have to complete the dreams! Don’t you want to return to your homelands? Or at least go outside?”

“Nah.”  
“Nope.”  
Not right now, no.”

Basically everybody said no. Oh, damn that spell voice!

Once again, Itachi came to her rescue. She knew she picked the right man! “Have you heard the part of the Guardians? Once the spell is over, we have a chance and it must relate to Sakura’s end wish. If we want to stay with the lady forever instead of for a few nights in a dream, then it’d be best we cooperate, you beasts.” He sneered. “I do not want to risk a future life together for a few nights. If we hold Sakura here against her will or distract her for long, do you really imagine no consequence? Maybe this is _our_ trial to be worthy of staying by the angel’s side. Think, men, think!” 

“Gahh!” Kakashi growled and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Fine! We’ll play the long game, but she hasn’t the need to leave right as soon as she comes back to us, no?”

Sakura sighed then smiled. “No, I don’t. But I want to — I need to see the changes to the spell myself or who knows what else lies in store. I promise, Kakashi, that I will have a proper conversation tomorrow. Right now, there are too many changes for me to relax, so please forgive me?”

“…” Kakashi pursed his lips before pulling her in for a deep kiss — once he was finished, he turned his head away and huffed, “Ok, you can go. Don’t forget your promise. Tomorrow, you will sit the fuck down and keep us company for a while!”

“Yes, yes.” Sakura giggled then slightly squeezed Gaara’s shoulder apologetically. She looked to Deidara and Sasori, “I promise we’ll have a decent conversation tomorrow, so please forgive me. And you can tell me more about this castle, okay?”

Gaara bowed his head, took the hand on his shoulder and kissed her palm, “I will wait for your return.”

Deidara and Sasori were about to copy Kakashi’s actions, but Itachi quickly lifted Sakura into a bridal carry and ran off.

“WHAT THE FUCK UCHIHA?!”  
“MONGREL! PLAY FAIR!”

Sakura giggled when she saw Itachi’s wickedly playful smirk. “So much for calling you a gentleman, Itachi.” She raised a brow.

“I never claimed such a title, my lady. You bestowed me that honor. And I am saving you — those two looked as hungry as starved dogs. It would be hard to wrestle you back from the magic-casters.” 

“Point taken, dear sir. As you are.”

The two shared a smile and entered the sixth dream.

……………………………..

………………………

…………………………..

When the two landed, the spell’s voice spoke in their minds: 

[ _Due to the increasing challenge of the dream’s trials, you will have access to a brief backstory of the soul. What you do with that information is up to you. Good luck!_ ]

And before Sakura could even look at her new surroundings, her sight went blank — and she was sucked into a vision. Next thing she knew, she was floating above a strange land — a kingdom near the sea and on the coast were…merfolk!

Before she could absorb the wonder of seeing the mermaids from her storybooks, the image changed to a tall blue man wielding a sword as long as his body was tall. He had gill-like slits on each cheek, a strong jaw and sharp, shark-like teeth pulled into a wicked smile. Sakura could admit that up until that moment, the only men she was familiar with were unerringly pretty and maybe that’s where the bulk of her attraction lay. This man though, he was attractive in a raw, earthy way that drew her in. He was beautiful. At the moment, he was performing for a King. His large muscles rippled as he performed a sword dance that was a mix of fluid movements that reminded her of a fish in sea and also incorporated the harsh slashes of a knight raiding a battlefield. When he was done with the powerful performance, the King rose and clapped his hands. 

“Dear friend!” The king walked over to hug the blue swordsman and laughed. “I see you’ve learned something new from the merkingdom! That was magnificient!”

“It was a grand old time, your majesty!” He patted his shoulder and smirked. “Plenty of treasure, too, as a gift and sign of the alliance.”

“The heavens sent us a blessing when you became our ambassador, Kisame!”

Sakura watched the scene play out. She could somehow sense the blue warrior’s feelings — she couldn’t hear his exact thoughts, but she could feel his intentions. She could even feel the warmth in his heart as he talked with his old friend. _This is impossible! It was telekinesis, but it shouldn’t be possible to read a person’s intent and feelings like this…I knew the spell was powerful, but how deep did this magic go?_

Then suddenly the vision changed and Kisame was battling an enemy army with a squad of whoever was left. She’d been spared from viewing the entire fight but from the exhaustion in his limbs and the grim look on his face, things weren’t looking favorable. Kisame and his squad were outnumbered and soon, they were all caught. Kisame was caught on his own further down from where his comrades were subdued. But before they could all be taken away by the attacking mage’s magic, Kisame struggled with a choice — she could feel his anguish strongly and once he made the choice, she understood. With tears in his eyes, Kisame wrested himself away from the enemy, letting them stab at him so he could escape to his friends…and kill them himself. To protect the kingdom, he’d give up his life. By the time it was done, the enemy had re-captured and stabbed him multiple times before declaring victory, and laying claim to the small town. 

Later it was revealed a mermaid sent by the merkingdom to watch over Kisame lurked in the shadows. Once the humans were gone, she went to check on the shark man and grimaced. Without a word, she hefted him onto her shoulders and made the long journey to the sea to be healed in the waters.

By some miracle, Kisame lived only to wish he’d died. When he found his way back to his King and old friend, he decided to visit him in secret in case of enemy spies — only to be shocked to see the enemy’s leader hugging the King! The blue warrior watched his King freely give away his kingdom’s secrets to their enemy. The same secrets that he was forced to kill his friends for to ensure their secrecy at the King’s order. And the warrior’s eyes darkened in rage. It wasn’t fair. His comrades died for their cause, for the kingdom’s cause — only to be mocked with this betrayal! And once more, he lifted his sword to kill an old friend.

Now, alone, he disappeared from the kingdom he would have died for with no purpose or humanity left in him. He became a machine of war, hiring himself out to any local warlord and losing himself to a beserker’s rage in battle. It was the only life he knew. 

Sakura’s heart clenched at the cold feeling that pressed against it — the misery, loneliness and guilt. The absence of belief…

And on that tragic note, the vision ended and Sakura found herself on a grassy field with Itachi. There was a moment of silence before she asked, “Did…Did you see that vision, too? Did you _feel_ it? How could a king shamefully use his subjects — nay, his friends like that!” She knew her King wasn’t exactly a saint either, but at least they weren’t colluding with their enemies in secret!

Itachi nodded, “Yes, and I know that man. His full name is Kisame Hoshigaki, the most powerful swordsman of the seas — it is rare for merfolk to communicate with a two-legger, but according to this vision, Kisame was one of the few they took seriously. That is a great honor. When we met, he was already a renowned mercenary. He was hired by my father a few times and we journeyed together on those missions, but no one ever knew his origins…Huh. So the rumors of him being half-merfolk were true.”

Sakura looked around — they were in a grassy clearing with no idea of where they were and no sign of Kisame. “So we have to find Kisame, figure out how to complete the dream and do it all by midnight. Wonderful.” Sakura ran her fingers through her hair. “Maybe I could use magic to fly up? I’m not sure how good I’d be at it, but I did it in Gaara’s dream so…” She scratched her head. “But what if that’s a trap? I’ve been fighting a lot these days so I wouldn’t be surprised if there were archers in these woods.”

“Hmm.” Itachi scanned his surroundings. “There are faint tracks of a man running through the grass…he entered the forest there.” Itachi pointed at little things — bent grass, very faint footprints — large ones, and a few marks on the trees. “Whoever passed through here was careless so he might not be expecting trouble — or he might be cocky.”

“I guess we’ll find out. It’s the only clue we have. Great work, Itachi.” Sakura smiled up and then started to walk. She peered through the foliage and saw a faint line of gray on a hill past the trees. “There’s a path up ahead, I’m assuming he took a shortcut that way. Thoughts?”

“Agreed. Shall we?” And the two walked to the path. Along the way, Sakura quickly checked her dress — the last thing she needed was to walk in a village in nothing but a transparent night dress. With a sigh of relief, she found she was wearing a simple green dress that fell to her ankles, but was light enough that it didn’t hinder her movements at all. It felt as light as the air she breathed. _Hmm. How did magicked clothes work anyway?_

Sakura distracted herself with thoughts of magical applications and clothing when Itachi paused in his steps, stood to listen then whispered, “I hear sounds of a battle up ahead. Please allow me to walk in front as your guardian, my lady. Not that you are weak, but it would ease my concerns.” Itachi remembered the might of the magic she now wielded. 

_Wow, he has excellent hearing. I can’t hear anything except the birds!_ She nodded. “Okay, but if the need comes, I will fight alongside you so don’t expect me to stay behind.” She smiled up at his concern. “We’re partners.”

A slight blush stained his cheeks and he coughed. “Partners…Yes. Yes, we are.” He smiled back before they quickly moved up to the path. 

When they reached further up the path, Sakura could hear sounds of steel clanging and screams. Sakura glanced at Itachi and they both ran towards the noise. Rule one of questing and solving magic spells without clear instructions — go where the trouble was. When they arrived at the end of the path a few minutes later, a dozen men surrounded Kisame in front of an inn. The civilians all hid inside while the tall swordsman laughed like a maniac as he swung his body-sized blade around like it was a switch. He roared, “I’ve been looking for something to do! Now! Who wants to challenge me first?!”

The masked men clad in full black remained silent and one blasted lightning at the shark man.

Kisame dodged and as he swung his sword, a surge of water blasted at the lightning user. The man quickly dodged and began to chant as the others attacked.

Itachi frowned. “The longer the chant, the more powerful the spell. I’ll have to —“

“Ah, I got this.” Sakura interrupted with a smirk. Now that she got more comfortable with using her powers, she focused her attention on the chanter and raised her arm. Ever since she’s entered the dream worlds, she’s been slowly changing — and this time, she felt excited in battle for the first time. The chance to use her power made her want more, but she restrained herself. If she let the thrill overcome her, she feared she’d become addicted to it. “I want to try something.”

With a deep breath, she felt the pull of her magic like a strange caress and envisioned her light magic to surround each of the dark clad men…one by one, a yellow glow sparkled around them and they looked around in confusion. By the time they spotted her and Itachi, it was too late. 

Sakura smiled back at them and with a whisk of her arm, her magic completely encompassed the enemy men and lifted them to the skies, making sure to twirl them around to interrupt the chanter’s words, and tossed them into the skies far, far away. ZOOOOM!! The balls of light carried the men away in seconds.

Itachi raised a brow. “I would have killed them.” He didn’t sugarcoat it. “They are threats.”

“I know.” Sakura raised a brow back. “But they are not my threats. I’m taking Kisame away so it’s fine.”

“Oho? You’re taking me away? How bold of you, kitten.” Kisame appraised Sakura with a whistle than smiled when he saw Itachi. “Ah! Itachi, now I didn’t expect to see you here! The clan put out that you died, ya know.”

“I was only sent to battle recently. They shouldn’t have heard of my death although I’m not dead yet. I’m currently being helped by a fae and angel, so they should have heard nothing at all. They wasted no time in advertising my death even before I finished the battle. How bold of them.” His dark eyes flashed.

“Fae? Angel? What are you on about?” Kisame stabbed the ground and leaned on his sword, bending his head down to listen. “I’ll listen to you.”

Sakura eyed the tall warrior in fascination. A moment ago, he was laughing like a maniac and full of bloodlust. Now he was peacefully listening to Itachi with respect. It was hard to imagine this was the same tormented person in her vision. She peeked at Itachi’s solemn face and wondered how he got Kisame to respect him so, seeing that they were complete opposites. 

Itachi went on to explain how he came to know Sakura, about fairy godmothers and dreams and how his soul was on the verge of madness according to the spell. “…And so, that is how we showed up here. And she isn’t kitten, she is Sakura.”

Kisame blinked in shock at the tale, but then gave off a hearty laugh. “Sakura, huh? Still a kitten! I never thought I’d see the day the most powerful Uchiha of this century would be tamed by such a small woman! You must hold a lot of spirit in that tiny frame.” He gave her a lop-sided grin.

Sakura smirked back with hands on her hips, “You bet! I trust you will give me a challenge?” She played to his chaotic nature.

“Heh.” Kisame then frowned and slowly pulled back his lips so his full row of daggered teeth revealed themselves. His low voice spoke, “You better not trust me, doll. I could give you more than a challenge and snap your head off.” His eyes weren’t kidding. “Why don’t you scamper away to your fine castle? I don’t play with fae or wannabe godmothers. My life is done with being dictated and played with by higher powers.”

Sakura glared back, “Look, I was sent here to help you somehow. I don’t know everything, but one thing’s for sure — I’m not leaving!” Like a woman on a mission, she pushed through, “So if you snap, I’ll blast you in the head until you come to your senses!” Then she snapped her fingers and a small sparkling ball of magic floated above her palm. 

“Interesting. You’re a little spitfire, I’ll give you that.” Kisame went back to his smiling self. “Beautiful, powerful…maybe you were sent here to help me pass the time another way?” He raised a brow. “Although I thought mages could conjure magic with words or their mind. Why snap your fingers?”

Sakura blushed. “It’s just something I do! It looked cool when I practiced it…” She whispered the last part to herself with a pout. 

Kisame chuckled deeply, “Aw, kitten, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.” He looked at her with amusement. The fierce pinkette was snapping at him one moment then blushing like a shy maiden the next. The contradiction of her nature was oddly…enticing. He licked his lips. “I don’t care for this random helping business, but I trust Itachi as much as I don’t trust your godmother’s help. If you want to hang with me, I don’t mind. It’d make the day go faster.” He shrugged. 

Sakura found herself more curious about the man. One minute, he threatens her head off, the next he’s chilling as if they were regular friends. “You’re very contradictory.”

Kisame glanced at her with one eye. “You’re one to talk.”

Itachi nodded, “He has a point, angel.”

“Don’t you two bully me!” Sakura stomped her foot. Great. What did this mean? How was she supposed to complete the dream when there was no fight to win or statue to break out of or mage to release from a dungeon? What exactly was the criteria to complete this dream? The battle was too easy and they’re just chatting away. She sighed. “It was a lot simpler to just fight it out and help people escape places. What am I supposed to do now?” Without a clear objective, she felt like she was just running in circles. The other dreams didn’t have clear objectives laid out either, but the situations called for obvious actions. In this place, although she helped Kisame defeat the attackers, it didn’t feel like that was everything. It was just a feeling, but Sakura believed in her sixth sense — more was to come.

Itachi guessed she was stressed over the spell’s requirements and rubbed her back with reassurance, “We have time. It is only the mid-day.” Like a good husband who was taking care of his stressed wife, he supported her as they walked without her realizing.

Kisame peered down at the warm couple curiously, but held his tongue. Deep down inside, his heart twinged in jealousy.

After a couple of hours of walking while they passed the time with idle chatter, they arrived in a small village. Surprisingly, the villagers all recognized Kisame and waved at him happily. 

“Wow, you’re quite famous.” Sakura peered up at Kisame. Despite his sharp teeth and edges, he had a unique charm. “So you’re not all just about threatening to bite my head off.”

“Oh, come on, kitten. I just helped them fight off some bandits and they give me a place to sleep. Although the bandit attacks are rising…it’s fishy.”

“…” Sakura looked away quickly.

Kisame rolled his eyes. “You can laugh. I get it. Fishy, I’m fishy, yeah yeah.”

“Ahahahaha!!” With his permission, Sakura giggled. And when she looked back up at him, she giggled harder. Their arms brushed against each other accidentally and it left a pleasant tingling trail. “Gods, I’m sorry, but I didn’t expect that. You’re quite humorous, Kisame.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

“I try.” Kisame glanced down at her and felt the heat of her arm. He remembered her magic — it was hard to imagine that such a small thing held so much strength. And the way she laughed so freely made his heart beat quicker against his will. No one had ever felt so relaxed around him like that. For the first time in a long time, he was perplexed. No matter what he did or what he said, she didn’t run away. Even if she was on a mission sent by shady individuals to help him, she didn’t shy away from him either. “You’re quite strange.”

“I try.” Sakura’s laughter calmed down, then she said, “Thanks for that. I hadn’t had a good laugh in ages.”

“Hm…Same here.”

“Sir Kisame!” A young man yelled from across the road. “The bandits are back! They’ve increased!”

“Tch. Get in your houses! Lock your doors! I’ll take care of this!” Without another word, the villagers complied and Kisame lifted his sword, ready for action. Sure enough, a few dozen bandits emerged from the forest and surrounded them accompanied by what seemed to be a mage in a black hood and a man in garish golden armor. “Resorting to dark mages? A little pricey for mere bandits, ain’t it?!”

The golden armor-clad man laughed. “Bandits? Please. We aren’t impoverished mongrels. We are here on the orders of King Sullivan to slay a traitorous swordsman.” And without another word, they attacked.

Kisame swung his sword with relish while Itachi’s eyes flared red and he quickly disarmed one attacker, took his sword and struck him down with it. Now armed, Itachi slashed down with Kisame in perfect coordination.

Meanwhile, Sakura focused on the dark mage who summoned black lightning aimed to strike Kisame down. She quickly focused her light magic and envisioned a light barrier surrounding the three of them — almost instantly it came into being and the attackers were pushed back as the lightning bolts clashed against the barrier. The only problem was that they couldn’t attack with the barrier.

Suddenly, screams cried out and they saw men dragging out families from their homes as they struggled. Blood splashed as they ran their blades through the innocent bystanders. 

“Drop your barrier!” Itachi called out and Sakura complied. He dashed towards the homes, enemy attackers fell from his blade as he went, and proceeded to protect the villagers. He was outnumbered, but he blasted fire from his mouth and for some reason, no blade could touch him. With a fierce gaze, Itachi held back the attackers. 

Once more, the dark mage summoned lightning, but this time there were more lightning orbs floating around him, primed to attack. Sakura was about to summon her barrier again, but Kisame called out, “Stop! I’ll surrender!”

The dark mage still struck while the leader only smirked and Sakura once again summoned a separate barrier around all three of them. CLASH CLASH CLASH!!!

“Tch!” Sakura felt tired but held on. It was as if something drained at her every time the lightning hit her. Was it because she had light magic while his was dark? Frustration seeped out of her — if she only defended, they’d never get rid of them! 

Kisame laughed but no humor was behind the sound. “Ironic isn’t it? The kingdom I would have died to keep their secrets for, the secrets that I killed my comrades to keep at the king’s request…is here to kill me because they can’t trust me. I deserve this. I should have rebelled earlier and maybe saved my comrades from their pointless death…If this is fate, so be it.” His sword lowered, on the verge of being dropped from his loose grip. “Kill me. Only with my death will they be satisfied.”

“NO!” Sakura grabbed his free arm. “Don’t you give in now! Protect me!” She let go of her barrier and focused her light magic to attack the dark mage with an arrow of light — FWIP! The bandits lunged for her, but Kisame blocked their attacks. More bandits appeared and came at their flanks and Sakura was forced to raise the barrier again. 

Although she wanted to just keep attacking and hold her barriers up at the same time, she didn’t have that much control. She barely knew what she did in Gaara’s fight! And if she kept Itachi in a barrier, they would attack a villager, so she had to time when to protect Itachi against the dark mage or watch an innocent die. That level of timing plus her barely controlled magic exhausted her energy. If it weren’t for Sasori’s help in his dream world, she’d never be able to control her magic like this. Even though she felt frustrated by her weakness, she gritted her teeth and yelled at Kisame, “I won’t let you die here! Nor Itachi!”

“You barely know me! If I die, the battle ends. What kind of mission were you sent on that needs my life to be saved? Who would want to save a scum like me?”

“First, there’s no way they’d stop if you died — so stop being a martyr! Second, you followed orders and believed in your kingdom. Your friends would have been tortured by the enemy for their secrets. Don’t take all the blame!” Sakura knew how kingdoms acted — after a life raised to deal with war prisoners, politics and how to sit pretty on top of the black history of their homeland, she’d been disillusioned a long time ago. “I know how you feel. I was trained my whole life to be a lie, but you sought to live yours with truth. You sought to believe in your King. Don’t take all the blame for a corrupted world, Kisame.”

“You sure you want to trust me, kitten?” Kisame taunted, but he felt his heart beat a little faster and he couldn’t deny himself anymore. “If you just tossed me to the enemy and let me fight to my death, there’d be no need to hold back against the dark mage. I can protect you even if it means a few stabs in my back. I have too much blood on my hands to be saved.”

“Stop saying that! I won’t let you die so recklessly! There has to be another way. And I’m not saving you, I’m fighting with you. I am trusting you to fight with me — so don’t give up! So join me and we’ll find our way together.”

“Ridiculous.” But his heart wavered. And suddenly he just felt tired of the fighting. He used to lose himself to the fight. Loved the thrill. But now…he just wanted to get out of here with the three of them in one piece. Him, Sakura and Itachi. “And what is your way? Any ideas on defeating a dark mage protected by the shameless?”

“I…I think so!” Sakura’s eyes lit up. “The barrier was effective against blades so if I have a sort of armor around you, you think you can protect me while I go on the offense? I can’t do three armors to allow effective fighting, but I can do so for you and Itachi while I attack. Can I trust you?” Sakura held his gaze.

“Yes. You can.” Kisame’s eyes twinkled as he gripped his sword firmly. “Let’s finish this!” 

Sakura focused her magic on the men and envisioned an armor of light around them — as soon as she finished, her barrier melted away and she only had enough control to shoot the light arrows. Sakura narrowed her eyes maliciously and an evil smirk spread across her face. That should be enough for one dark mage. 

Kisame appreciated the darker aura that surrounded Sakura for a bit, before focusing on slaying those who would touch the lady. 

FLIIIING ——!!

Sakura lifted her arms and put all her mind to her magic. Dozens of shining arrows flew from her body as they headed toward the dark mage. The mage dodged the first few but was forced to raise a dark barrier when a couple hit his arm and leg. 

Sakura smirked. “Heh.” As soon as the mage evoked the dark barrier, she used his distraction to change target — and pierced the leader in the heart. 

The leader cried out in shock before falling to his knees and within the minute, died. With their leader gone, the bandits hesitated — even the dark mage flung off his barrier to expel his rage in a barrage of lightning.

_Huh. So he could only do one thing at a time. Barrier or lightning. Does that mean I’m just over-powered? No matter._

Without hesitation, Sakura struck him down while he raged and launched one last attack at her — dark lightning dove for her body, but Kisame leapt in the way and the lightning bounced off the armor of light. The dark mage cursed as he died by her arrows and the battle turned in their favor. 

Ignited, the three of them sought to demolish the last of the men and Sakura unleashed everything she had left on the attackers in tandem with Itachi and Kisame. Most who were hit fell to the ground — dead or unconscious, she didn’t know, but she found she didn’t care. They tried to kill her, those she cared for and innocent villagers. Whatever life they thought was worth such senseless violence was deemed less than scum in her eyes. Slowly, the once-pacifist became harder and her light shone brighter.

And so, with the dark mage gone, the two warriors quickly subdued the rest. Kisame grabbed one of the few left and snarled, “Tell the new King that if he wishes to live, he best keep his paws to himself. And I’ll be leaving this country completely — so don’t bother looking for me any longer, you’ll never find me.” He dropped the man, watched him scramble to his feet and run away. 

Sakura went into the village to assess the damage. Most of the villagers had escaped unscathed but the unlucky few who’d been dragged from the safety of their homes and into the crossfire were either daed or mortally injured. She lingered where the injured lay and a thought came to mind. She went to kneel beside a child with a deep stab wound in his arm. “Here, child. Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help.” Sakura soothed the crying child and focused on her magic. It healed her back in Kakashi’s dream, maybe it could heal others. She hoped this worked. She closed her eyes and felt what magic she had left pool into her hands, the familiar warmth surrounded her and she envisioned the child’s wound. _Please. Please heal him…_

She didn’t know how magic worked exactly, but the last few dream worlds didn’t make any sense either. If her magic was abnormal, she would never know, but she focused the best way she could. She could sense the child’s pain like she sensed Kisame’s in the vision. Focusing on that pain, she gently covered it with her power. “Please…heal!” 

Sakura’s hair seemed to float in the air as her magic surrounded her. Unlike the times she fought, healing was a different feeling and a whole other battleground. Slowly, the child’s wound began to close up and after a minute, the skin completely returned to normal. When she finally opened her eyes, she was shocked to see the child asleep, but healed and she laughed. “I did it! I really did it!” Tears of relief fell from her eyes as she hurried to find another person to heal.

Kisame and Itachi watched as Sakura became an impromptu healer and the smiles her actions caused. Kisame glanced down at Itachi with a conflicted smile, “You found yourself quite a woman.”

“I did.” Itachi raised a brow. “I sense tension in your voice, old friend.”

“You always did like to tease people.” Kisame grumbled. “Yeah, I am jealous. But I won’t stoop so low to steal a woman from you, Itachi. I like to live with my head attached to my neck.”

“I swore you tried to off yourself earlier and my woman had to save you.” The usually serious man teased.

“God damn it, Itachi!” Kisame rolled his eyes and ran his hand down his face. “Yeah, well, I was convinced otherwise. I’ll be joining you guys from now on it seems.” He smirked evilly, “Too bad, Itachi.”

“Meh.” Itachi shrugged. “The truth is, dear Sakura isn’t only mine. If I had the power to, I would, but she would never forgive me.”

“You lost me. So you aren’t together.”

“We are.” Itachi deliberately stayed silent after with a smirk.

“Itachi, stop playing with me! Damn it, now I remember why we used to fight on the voyages we had. It’d be great if you were your old serious self.” Kisame complained, but sighed out, “If you can’t get the girl, I don’t even know if I can. Great.” Kisame didn’t hide his intention from his friend. He was straight forward with the Uchiha and vice versa, it was how they became trusted friends in the first place. That plus Itachi was one of the few people who could give him a real challenge.

“I wouldn’t give up so soon.” Then like devil’s advocate, Itachi spoke, “Well, I know of a way, old friend…”

Just then, Sakura finished with the last of the few wounded and walked up to them. She squinted. “What are you talking about, Itachi? I feel like you’re getting off on something here.” She didn’t have any hard evidence, but from the way he was looking at her she could guess what he was speaking about. The longer she spent with the man, the more she discovered. Such as his mischievous nature and his newfound kink of watching her with other people. She still hadn’t forgotten how he taught Gaara how to please her with a barely restrained lust. “Men.” She rolled her eyes.

Itachi gave her a sultry smirk and bent down to play with one of her tresses before tucking it behind her ear, “Nothing of the sort, dear. Just making sure to service the both of you with a solution. Love can change a person they say.”

Kisame snorted. “What are you on about?”

“Are you not curious about this angel?” Itachi trailed a finger down Sakura’s cheek, down her throat and between her breasts. “Her power is great, her eyes captivating…I know you felt something. You can’t hide your interest.”

“And? You know I am, but aren’t you worried I’ll steal your woman, hmm?” Kisame blinked at the man. Usually men wanted to monopolize their woman. He glanced at Sakura and his curiosity grew. What kind of woman could make a man like Itachi be at her beck and call like this? Hmm…

“Heh. You’ll be surprised. She is quite…” Itachi tilted her chin up to look at him as he gave her an endearing look. “Greedy. I’m afraid the angel is being captured by devils such as me.”

Kisame gave her an appraising stare. “Huh. Never would have figured that from such an innocent face. Tell me more, Sakura.” He leaned in.

Sakura blushed. “You’re making me sound bad! And besides, if men can have fun, why can’t women? Don’t you wonder if I am the one capturing you devils?”

“Ha.”  
“Heh.”

The two men gave her an amused stare. Kisame then licked his lip, “If the lady says she’s a seductive little devil then I’m eager to see if she can back up her words.” He pointed to a far-off hut on a hill that overlooked the village. “I live there for the moment. Why don’t you show us your prowess, dear lady?”

“Is that a challenge?” Sakura felt emboldened and smirked. 

“What if it is?” Kisame leaned in closer until their noses touched.

“Yes, yes, you two.” Itachi clapped his hands. “You’re confusing the villagers who think we’re both going to fight over the lady. Let’s head to your hut and continue from there.”

Sakura scoffed. “You just want to get your kink on, Itachi.”

“Never said otherwise, dear. This is why I love you. You know exactly what I’m thinking.”

“You shouldn’t be so proud about that.” But Sakura laughed and so the trio made their way to the hut.

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At the hut…

“Sooo…” Kisame drawled, “Shall we just get to it, then?” Ever so subtle, the handsome shark wiggled his brows.

Sakura rolled her eyes, “We just fought a battle and you are quick to bed.”

“Hey, adrenaline — what can I say?” He took off his shirt and revealed his sharply honed muscles and girth. Sakura swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “I’m a man with simple wants and needs. Fuck, fight, fuck, sleep, eat.”

“For someone who loves battle so much, I expected more fighting and less fornicating.” Sakura’s mouth twitched at this tempting beast of a man. Somewhere along her magical journey, she found teasing men to be fun, especially when they responded in kind.

Sure enough, Kisame grinned at her, “Go on. You can say fuck. I won’t tell the teacher.”

She giggled and an almost feline thrill spilled down her spine. Whenever she saw that crooked grin, it was as if a beastial side of her started to awaken. Like a panther in those books she used to read, the more she came in touch with her sensual side, the more she felt an animal urge release from origins unknown. As a lady, she was raised to think only pure thoughts and cage such notions, but now…

Sakura licked her lips slowly as her green eyes darkened to pools of lust. “I prefer to express myself through action instead of words.” She discarded her noble lady bearing and shrugged her shoulders slowly like a beast on the prowl. “Itachi?” 

“Yes.” The silent dark-eyed warrior slid next to her. There was an appreciative and almost calculative shine in his gaze as he watched Sakura take command. And sure enough, he guessed her motives. “How may I assist the lady tonight?”

Sakura found him already undressing her with hunger in his eyes, but restrained himself. “Don’t forget to breathe.” She swept her long hair over her shoulder with a grin, provoking his lust.

Itachi lips spread wickedly. “You tease.” His hands lifted his shirt and he began to undress.

With a domineering look, she turned back to Kisame and ordered, “Well? Come undress me.” 

“Yes, my lady.” Kisame gave an exaggerated bow and then step by step, came to stand close behind Sakura. With gentle movements, he loosened the strings at the back of her dress and slid his large fingers down her back with the loose material. Every touch brought heat and he massaged her shoulders before sliding his hands inside her dress to her chest. His fingers measured her mounds from within her dress and he squeezed and fondled as if addicted to the smooth touch. His breath hot against her neck, he said, “Quite full for such a small woman.”

“Says the guy twice as tall as any man. I’m quite a good height. Not that it would matter when we are in bed — there we’ll be equal.” Sakura joked, but gasped when he flicked her nipples with his thumbs then ran one hand down her stomach and toward her center. 

“Naughty girl, you aren’t wearing undergarments. You fought even though you could’ve been exposed at any moment. Quite indecent for a lady.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “How shall I punish you?”

Sakura glanced up at him with glistening eyes, hissing lightly when he teased her clit between his fingers. “The question should be whether you even could?” She smiled then, slow and sensual. In her peripheral vision, she could see Itachi had already loosened his pants and simply watched the two of them while he fondled himself. She just knew he got off of this! A part of her wondered just how the man met his needs before meeting her since he was so comfortable with threesomes…and even had a hand in manipulating these situations. That devious, sexy devil.

Kisame chuckled and brought her focus back to him. “We’ll have to find out. I’m a very visual man. How about I strip you naked,” he kissed her shoulder, “And you tell me where you want me and I’ll see if I’m in the mood.” That said, he pulled at her dress and let it fall to her feet in one fell swoop. Gazing at her full nakedness, his eyes darkened at the sight. “Whoever sent you — heavens or fae — they surely offered me a feast.” He swept her off her feet and brought her to the large bed in the room. Due to his size, the villagers made sure to provide a suitable bed — and even then the man took up half of it. 

Sakura felt her back hit the bed and looked up to see Kisame sharp gaze locked on her face. 

“It’s almost unreal that you’re here.” His eyes softened as he brushed his fingers down the side of her face and brought some of her pink strands to his lips for a kiss. “Lady Sakura, you are too tempting to resist, but that may mean you aren’t an angel, but a little devil come to tempt my lost soul.” He leaned in so his lips grazed hers. “Either way, my soul is yours, kitten.”

He pressed his lips to hers and slipped his tongue into the cavern of her mouth. He explored every nook and cranny of her mouth while his hands pressed her torso snuggly against his and she felt his hardness against her belly. 

They separated harshly, panting for air and Kisame took the opportunity to remove the rest of his clothes. She watched his muscles ripple and flex as he stretched his arms, the matte surface of his blue skin in the candlelight shifting like ocean waves, the scars that marked his body — all of it thrilled her. When he was finally naked, she gaped.

Feeling him against her didn’t do justice for how large he actually was. His cock sagged under its own weight and she had a brief moment of concern for her ability to walk the next day. Liquid beaded and dripped from his tip like the crystallization of his lust. Sakura bit her lip. Then a naughty urge crossed her mind, “Let me help you with that.” She licked her lips and sat up, shifting to the edge of the bed to take him into her hands. Her fingers swept up and down his length in a loose grip, exploring him and teasing him for playing with her earlier. He groaned and Sakura delighted in seeing the cocky, powerful man so vulnerable under her touch. I wonder how much I could make him plead? Then she lowered her head…

“Take me in your mouth, honey,” Kisame crooned. “Yes, like that…” He threw his head back when she twirled her tongue around the tip. “Please, kitten, more!” 

Looking up at him, she experimentally sucked him deeper into her mouth then pushed him out with her tongue. Kisame damn near snarled and his hands flexed by his sides. Encouraged, she brought her other hand to encircle his shaft and moved in time with her sucking. By the time Sakura was done, Kisame pulled himself from her lips and came. Then without pause, pushed her higher onto the bed and covered her body with his. He grasped her by the waist and laid her back against the bed while he aimed his cock for her folds. Before he could enter, Itachi interrupted with a blue bottle held in front of his face.

“Don’t rush, Kisame. Here, take this. It’s lube — a present I found in my room, but that’s another story. Just use it.” Itachi screwed open the cap and poured the thick liquid onto his fingers before letting it drip onto Sakura’s folds.

Kisame took over from there and wet his fingers with the liquid before pressing two fingers inside her, checking there was no pain on Sakura’s face. Bit by bit, he spread her open and thrust in, rubbing against her inside. He played with her nub with his thumb and kissed her while he made her wet. When he felt she was lubricated enough, he held his cock and aimed at her entrance. 

He slowly entered her, watching her face as he sank into her depths. He waited until she adjusted to his size then he began thrusting. “That’s it, kitten. Take me all in.” For such a small woman, she was quite a force of nature. Such touch should be a sin. Kisame thrusted inside her unrestrained. 

Kisame rolled them over so she fell on top, she felt a different warmth at her back and looked to see Itachi had positioned himself behind her. 

Itachi examined her ass and spread his palms against her bouncing cheeks, tugging at her rosebud. “It looks like your tease of a back end has been taught a little before. That will make things easier.” He poured more lube on his fingers and her ass. A lubricated finger dug into her wet ass as Kisame plunged back into her pussy. “Ahh!” Sakura moaned. Like a burst dam, liquid gushed out around Kisame’s cock. A distant thought crossed her mind: Had she always been secretly lustful or was the dream world really good at making sex pleasurable? Whatever the case, she was glad to be so lucky to skip out on the pain most noble ladies whispered about when the tutors and lords weren’t around.

Itachi took out his fingers to add lube to his cock and then pressed against her rosebud again, adding another finger as he watched her clench around them. And like with Deidara and Sasori, the thrust from both ends made her toss her head back before she slid her hands up Kisame’s hard torso and leaned against him. She eagerly begged, “More…” Reason fell away in the strong hands of these warrior’s touch. She ground her clit against his solid lower abs, and mewled at Kisame with parted lips and found herself completely lost to the electric sensations, the steaming heat of their bodies and the thick tension in the air.

“She really is quite a greedy woman. My cock not enough for ya? I’m going all out!” Kisame thrusted into her faster and faster. As if he went berserk again, he let himself loose while Itachi got all her weak spots — the back of her neck, the flick on her nipples to the rub of her ass — every sensation perfectly timed to stimulate her senses while Kisame drove her to madness. It was like a full-on attack by the prodigy and the warmonger. Each had their own…skill sets that complemented the other from battle to the bed. “Ahhh!”

She felt Itachi’s hard member prod at her rear before sliding into her, the lube making it easier for his cock to push in. Both men rode her and filled her up completely as she bounced between them, their bodies connected as a sloppy mess. They thrust into her in unison, driving her mad with each grind against her inner walls. “Ahhh! More! Please, more!” 

Itachi slapped her ass as he pounded into her while Kisame wrapped his hand behind her neck and pulled her down for another deep kiss. Their tongues danced while he made sure to reach her deepest parts.

“Mm…!!” Sakura and the men became beasts in bed as they tried different positions. Over and over, they came inside her, but the lust never faded. Sakura felt the heat in her cheeks and tingling all over her skin as those hot palms caressed and grasped her. 

Kisame nipped at her shoulder lightly then dragged his long tongue up her neck as he took her from behind while Itachi switched to her front and nestled his face in her bosom, feeling the soft marshmallows cradle his face.

Harder and longer, they drove themselves into her while she demanded more. It was long after the sun set until they finally relaxed and felt satisfied. 

They laid in bed with Sakura in the middle. But before Kisame could fall asleep in satisfaction, Sakura asked him, “Why don’t you come with me? Kisame.” Before they surrendered to their lust, Sakura had been thinking about why she was sent here — how could she help Kisame. And after watching him, fighting alongside him and connecting with him, she found the answer. “You trust Itachi and I know you only fought in battle with me once, but…Would you give me a chance? Won’t you try trusting me?” Sakura caught his gaze with her emerald eyes.

“Hm?” Kisame lifted his body so his weight fell on his arm as he looked down at the pinkette. “Why so serious?” He tucked a hair behind her ear.

“I’m serious!” She pouted and Kisame smiled softly at the sight. “I know I’m still figuring my life out myself, but if you join me, we can work things out together. We can build a new way, a new path based off trust. I do not know all the answers, but I want to build a place for all of us to belong. For you to belong. What say you?”

Kisame tried to envision such a thing — to have a place to belong in this cold, hypocritical world. For his code and loyalty, he killed his comrades by order of the kingdom to protect it’s secrets. Only for that same kingdom that he called home to sell that intel despite their sacrifices. Because of that, he was worse than scum. But now this strange magical woman offered a new path, a home for someone like him? How ridiculous. No matter how good she was to hold, it felt too good to be true. “And how would you keep such a promise?”

“You’re going to have to trust me.” Sakura narrowed her eyes then sat up to loom over him. “I take those who place their trust on me seriously. If you don’t want to trust me yet, then give me a chance.”

And Itachi spoke, “I trust her, old friend. I believe in the angel.”

Kisame also sat up and stared at these two ridiculous people who jumped into his life. It was ridiculous, foolish, crazy…and tempting as hell. And even if Itachi wasn’t here, instinct told him this Sakura woman wasn’t the type to go back on her promises. Nonetheless, he’d keep an eye on her, but first, “Fine. We can try, kitten, but if you betray me, I’ll cut off your legs.” His eyes hardened. “I don’t take betrayal lightly.”

“Neither do I. So likewise, if you do anything to harm me or mine, I’ll make you suffer. Deal?” Sakura stared him down, serious and challenging his own contemplating gaze. To her surprise, she found she quite liked the feeling. Throughout this journey, she’d come to discover things about herself that, as a lady, she would’ve never had the chance to find out. And it seemed challenging powerful men was one of them. She didn’t know what the spell would do or how she could make her wish, but if the voice hinted at anything…there was a chance for all of them to be together. She had to trust in that chance. “Let’s build a future together.”

“It’ll be a wild ride.” Kisame grinned. “Sounds a hell of a lot more fun than wandering about.”

The two smiled at each other. Itachi’s arm wrapped around her waist as he settled in to sleep and Sakura reached forward to hold Kisame’s hand. Sleep followed soon after. Then later…

Ding! 

[ _Midnight is here._ ]

[ _Dream Six Complete_ ]

[ _Reward: Compassion is the Threads that Tie the Soul. Purpose is the Light that Guides it. May You Never Forget Yourself and Strengthen Your Vision — Heal and Aid Those Who Need it, but Do Not Be Blind to the World As it is_ ]

  
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**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Evening Lovelies!

Whoo, so that was waaaaay longer than I intended! Go figure.

Hey everyone! WitchySkies here. Just finished this earlier so posted it now. I hope you enjoyed Kisame’s bluntness! Although I wonder who is worse — him or Hidan? THE WAR BEGINS — Just kidding!

Please enjoy this chapter and review what you think!

And BIG SHOUT OUT to the wonderful **Bellababe42** for beta-reading and shining me with her wisdom. This chapter would be more Kakashi and less Itachi otherwise (Get it, cause Kakashi’s character is rough and Itachi’s refined. Eh? Eh? Funny, right? *Nudges shoulder with puppy eyes* Tell me that was funny! *Gets smacked by Sasuke’s tomatos*)

Once more! *throws confetti* Much love and appreciation to Bellababe42 for helping me refine this 9000+ word beast! Your insights are excellent. *Kowtows*

I do hope you enjoy your day, get sexy with Kisame and find yourselves a nice hot cocoa and relax. We’re halfway done with Twelve Nights so this is exciting!

Yosh! Loves and Kisses and let’s have ourselves a good night!

WitchySkies


	7. Chapter Seven: “A Hate As Deep As Your Love”

**Chapter Seven: “A Hate As Deep As Your Love”**

“Everyone Has a Secret Side,  
And Behind the Lady Was a Wild One.”  
 **—A Human Never Fits In A Box—**

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“Sakura, my dearie. Wake up for a bit.” A melodic voice rang in her ear. Sakura’s eyes fluttered as she took in the scene. Instead of laying on bed with Itachi and Kisame, she found herself with her head down at a tea table in a garden. Her fairy godmother Ella smiled as she sat poised in her seat with a proud look on her face. “I am proud of you.”

“Fairy godmother…?” The pink-haired noble lifted her head from the table and yawned. She still felt so sleepy…”Where are we?” 

“My garden. You can even see my home behind you. Even a fairy godmother needs a place to call home.” Ella raised her hand and waved her arm towards the cute two-story house behind the quaint garden of flowers. Like straight out of the fairy tales she used to read, the house and garden made a very romantic picture — complete with a bed of roses by the door and a white horse. She could see men sparring in the distant hills.

A warm feeling flooded Sakura’s heart at the sight of the picturesque home. Although she herself lived in a castle and would soon be married into the royal family and all their riches, none of the golden prisons with all their luxuries and beautiful enormous mazes of a thousand roses could compare to this little home nestled in the hills by a river bed. It just seemed so…magical. She said, “Your house looks absolutely wonderful. I hope to find a place to call home like yours.” 

Ella smiled as she sipped her tea, the picture of elegance. Her blonde hair was tucked away into a neat bun, but a wild strand escaped and caressed her cheek. She slowly swallowed the fragrant tea, enjoying every second of this moment of bliss. Then she spoke, “Yes, I am most grateful to have found this place.” 

Sakura didn’t know this magical woman long, but she got the feeling that the refined lady knew how to enjoy her own company and let no one tell her how to live her life. That spirit just shone off of her and Sakura was always humbled by her innate beauty. She blushed when she found she’d stared too long. “Ahem, Godmother Ella? May I ask why I am here?”

Ella’s blue eyes twinkled as she set down her tea cup. She leaned forward and a mischievous grin spread across her face. Her refined picture morphed into one of a charming belle of the ball caught running amok. “Why, Sakura dear, I knew you would be the right person! As soon as I saw you, I had a hunch and I was right. You’ve done splendidly so far. I’ve come to congratulate you and to tell you a hint for the rest of your stay in my spell.” She clapped her hands and a tiny flower fairy flew over and dropped a drop of golden nectar in Sakura’s untouched tea. “But first, please drink all of your tea. You’ll need it.”

Curious, but ever-trusting of the woman who changed her world for the better, Sakura drank her tea until not a drop was left. Instantly, a burst of warmth flooded her entire body and she felt completely energized. “What is this? I feel incredible!” Sakura could even feel her magic itself grow stronger. She couldn’t describe the feeling well, but she just instinctively knew her limits grew exponentially.

“That is a sacred drop of nectar. A gift from the Fae themselves. Quite handy, no? I felt the same way when I first received it.” Ella giggled at Sakura’s surprise.

“T-The Fae! I - Um, thank you! Please tell them thank you, but why me?” Sakura couldn’t keep up with this series of events. First she found a fairy godmother then discovered she had magic and now the Fae directly gave her a gift! Even she knew that Fae gifts were never simple. Those they favored always received a rare treasure hidden in simple things.

“I’m sorry, but until you manage to complete the dream spell, I can’t divulge that secret. You will see that your body will be most healthy and quite strong. Whether you make it to the end or not, this gift is forever yours — I trust you will use it well.” Ella winked at her. “Very well.”

Sakura’s face flushed at the implication. Before she could speak, however, the fairy godmother stood from her seat and with a flick of her wrist, summoned her star wand to her hand. She placed the tip of the star on Sakura’s head and said, “No matter what happens, lead with your heart and you will find your way. You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.” And with those vague words, the golden star shined bright and Sakura once more fell asleep…

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**Meanwhile…As Sakura was still in the Dream of Kisame…**

_Last night at the Castle…_

Four men stood outside of the door Sakura just went in with Itachi. 

“It seems we are at war, men.” Kakashi smirked as he eyed the hungry wolves in the lounge. “Let’s establish a few rules now. I know none of you will pass the opportunity to hold the lady alone.”

Deidara snorted. “Of course, Kaka-shit. You started this mess when you snatched her away from me and Sasori last time.”

Sasori backed him up, “No decorum could be expected from a mercenary, so it is to be expected.” His all too calm eyes bore down at the silver-haired assassin. 

“Yes, yes. All true, but I am surprised over who won this round.” Kakashi’s lips twitched behind his mask as he turned to a certain red-haired sand warrior. “I knew you were trouble, boy. You’re quite cunning. Playing to Sakura’s sentimental side with your act. I expected nothing less from a survivor of the infamous coliseum.”

Gaara’s wide-eyed gaze slowly morphed into something dark as he narrowed his eyes. His lips spread back into a sinister smile. “You never trusted me once, Kakashi. How unfortunate. I need to work on my acting skills.” For Gaara, although he was truly inexperienced in love and sex, that didn’t hold back his desire from the first time he saw Sakura enter his domain. As the top contender of the coliseum, he saw the worst sides of humanity and there was nothing he didn’t know in regards to blood and flesh. But Sakura was such a delicate flower so he made precautions and dealt his best hand — he played the boy he once was before he was thrown away to the battlegrounds. He chuckled deeply and said, “We are too alike, Kakashi, so I knew you would never fall for the act. But why didn’t you inform Sakura of my true nature?”

“Simple. We are playing in a game far larger than ourselves and Sakura has need for each and every one of us. If I cut off her tie to you, then I’m afraid it would hurt the end game.” He shrugged and collapsed back against the velvet couch, leg propped up. “Whether I like it or not, we’ll be partners. All of us. But the lady’s time is limited and the rivals will increase. So here’s my proposal — “ 

Kakashi eyed the remaining men with a calculative gaze. His hands perched under his chin as he leaned forward in his seat and his bangs barely covered his eyes. His red eye burned bright. “If I’m correct, there will be twelve men by the end of the dream. And each of us will have a chance to be a guardian according to the spell. I do not find we are helping Sakura by chance. Should we succeed in helping Sakura, we also might become her guardians. Get it?”

Gaara said, “Which means, men, we have a future with the flower. But who will be in that future is up to our abilities. Until the end, the only time with Sakura that is for certain will be in this world of dreams and castles. But.” He lifted a finger. “Who will be number one in Sakura’s heart is a different matter. And I do not want to waste my time on chances when there are endless opportunities between dreams.”

Deidara raised both brows. “Oho? The shy boy is outed as one of us beast, hmm? Heh. So we’ll be fighting to get the lady’s time once she comes out of that dream realm.” He flipped his palm up and a white bird of clay popped up. “This competition will be a blast!”

Sasori’s face remained neutral, but his finger tapped on his thigh. “The lady will not agree with this, but if you prove a distraction, we may salvage more time with her. Agreed.”

“Then it’s settled.” Kakashi clapped his hands. “We’ll give the low-down to every new guy, but Operation: Grab Sakura’s Time is in session. As amusing as the threesomes are, I need to have an…intimate talk…with her. I’m sure you all feel the same.” 

Sasori nodded. “Yes. This way we may cooperate for a bigger future as well. Even if it means making deals with devils, I won’t let any opportunity to tie the fae woman to us slip. And the fae are notorious for escaping at a moment’s notice.”

Deidara took out three more smoke bombs between his fingers with a flick of his wrist. “Now that we all are on the same page to getting Sakura to stick around the castle more while we can take advantage of endless timing…I take it, anything’s game!” He gave a feral grin.

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**Back to Present Time…**

Sakura woke up and once again found herself back at the lounge. When she saw the six men that stood before her, however, bells rang off in her head at the sudden…unison between the men. What on earth could have happened over one night?

All six of the men stood before her as she lazily rose to her feet. Before Itachi could greet her, Deidara gave her a quick kiss before grinning smugly at the others. Kisame appeared confused as he looked around the lounge and then at the other men. 

“I knew you said you’d take me away, but I didn’t expect to wake up in a suit in some enchanted castle full of wily bastards. Funny — I don’t even feel a bit tired after our, heh, tousle last night.” The tall blue swordsman peered down at Sakura. “Interesting little set up, miss mage. Verrry interesting.” 

The lady’s ears turned red as she stammered, “Ish — Ahem, It wasn’t my idea!” She looked to the side. _Although I’m not exactly against the way things are…_

“Hmm.”

Sasori clapped his hands and interrupted. “Hello, seeing as you are new here, Itachi will fill you in on the details. As you can see, _some_ of us have barely had time with the lady.” He narrowed his eyes at Itachi’s poker face.

Kakashi piped in, “Now you promised us a talk, so let’s go to a better place to converse. Sakura?” He held out his hand and Sakura took it with a sorry smile. 

“Sorry Kakashi. I’ve been neglecting you. Yes, let’s talk. All of us.” And so, Kakashi lead them to a separate room down the hall — a quaint dining room already set up with tea and breakfast. Sakura stared wide-eyed at the floral decor, the lacy white tablecloths, the wide windows that oversaw a cute garden to the side and beyond that was just clouds. Literal clouds. For the first time, Sakura saw the outside of the castle and it seemed they were in the sky?! But before she could go in shock, she asked, “This room wasn’t here the first time I came here and I couldn’t see anything much even if there were windows. What changed…?”

Sakura realized that she only focused on the dream worlds that she never truly thought about the enchanted castle itself. She assumed since she was only here for twelve nights if she went consecutively, there was no need to care. 

Sasori answered her question, “Since Deidara and I have been stuck in the place, the castle would slowly expand. Every night, there would be more rooms or a different thing added to the horizon and on top of that, meals would just appear out of thin air. Like this breakfast before you. I feel that the more souls you help, the bigger the castle becomes — and I assume your power grows as well?”

Sakura thought about her magic’s growth — from Sasori’s dungeon to Gaara’s fight to Kisame’s battle, her power only grew and while she didn’t quite master it yet, she was certainly getting stronger. And more importantly, she learned she could heal people. That was something even her King would pay a ransom for as only the best of the magicked folk could accomplish such a feat. “Yes.”

“May I take your palm? I need to check something.” The red-haired dark mage held out his hand with a slight smile, his ethereal beauty reminiscent of his mixed fae blood.

“Yes.” Sakura gently laid her palm on his and he studied it seriously. Tracing the lines of her palm with his finger, an electric feel hummed within her and her hand glowed with a faint light. After a minute, he let her go. 

“I was correct. I do not know the mechanics, but the more you venture into these dreams, the more magically attuned you become. It’s as if you are finding magical resonance or some sort of energy that strengthen you. You are naturally magical, but this is beyond testing your capabilities. The dreams themselves are catalyst to amplifying your growth. You are not only saving our souls, but evolving, my dear. And there are only one group of people in this realm who could create such a spell.” 

Sasori leaned closer to peer into her big green eyes. “My mother would tell me tales of true tests, but this is the first I’ve seen it. My lovely Sakura, how on earth did you gain the favor of the Fae’s Royal Family?”

“Eh?!” Sakura froze then shook her head wildly. She may not know much about the Fae, but even she knew that the Royal Family’s blessing were worth more than an entire kingdom! She thought back to the gift Godmother Ella gave her, that strange nectar was supposed to be a gift from them. But…it couldn’t be from the royals! “That can’t be! I’m just being helped by my Fairy Godmother Ella to realize a wish. It’s nothing so grand as that!” Once a Fae favored a person, tremendous fortune would fall on them. But if it were the royal family who favored them…Even miracles were possible. One legend spoke of a such a woman and she became so powerful that a dragon itself would be summoned at her beck and call!

Itachi said, “The voice yesterday spoke of a guardians route being opened and that a new world of opportunity would open up to you. It’s like you unlocked another version of the spell itself by the way it sounded. Sasori’s theory may be correct.”

“We don’t know that for sure!” Sakura didn’t feel like she did anything to warrant such attention after all. “In any case, I’m sure we’ll find out by the end so there’s no worry.”

“Then I’ll be proven right and you’ll have to accept your value. Until then, my dear.” Sasori caressed a lock of her long pink hair and kissed the end of it.

Kakashi took over and gently snatched Sakura’s waist before guiding her to a chair, “Since that’s settled, can we please have a real breakfast with the lady?”

And with Kakashi’s prompting, the men began to take their seats.

Sakura fawned over the cute pancakes topped with chocolate chips and strawberries and the platter of eggs and sausage. A rose tea was placed to the side with a glass of orange juice. She took a bite and instantly fell in love. This was better than her castle’s food! It was soft, moist, and just swoon-worthy. She’s never had pancakes like this. Soon, the lady forgot her worries and just hastily gulped down the magical breakfast like there was no tomorrow. It was so good, she actually was tempted to just stay in this castle forever! 

Kisame chuckled as he saw Sakura gulp down her food instead of nip at it like royal ladies tended to do. He liked to see this normal side to her. 

Meanwhile Gaara eyed the table and then noticed their gazes all fixated on Sakura. Despite taking bites out of the food that he was sure came from the Fae, nobody cared as they just watched Sakura while they ate. Ruminating over his rivals, his green eyes darkened. They were as serious as he was about her, then he best make sure she wouldn’t forget him…

And so, while the powerful group ate peacefully, certain innocent eyes formed a plan.

When Sakura finished eating, she sighed happily. “I am going to eat here every morning!” she declared.

“Good. I was just about to suggest that.” Kakashi replied. “Now let’s talk. Sakura, what is your wish?”

And just like that, Sakura’s simple bliss fell into an existential crisis. “Um…I wished for freedom, but that’s not specific enough, is it?” She laughed and scratched at her cheek while Kakashi frowned.

Like a concerned husband, he scolded her, “You have to think of this seriously! I know the Fae aren’t demons, but you never know why they favor a mortal until it’s too late! And I would like to know so I can make plans to see you after. Wherever you end up wishing yourself to.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere tensed as Kakashi spoke what was on all of their minds. Once the dreams were over, what will happen to them? And will they find Sakura again?

Sakura gulped. While she wasn’t too worried since she trusted Godmother Ella wouldn’t throw her hide on the streets, especially now that she had magic, she knew the men didn’t want to hear that. She doubted they’d feel so strongly when they returned to reality, but she decided not to mention that either. So she considered seriously before she said, “I…wish…to be free to pursue my own path and gain the power to do so. And if you still cared to join that journey after this spell ends, then I will welcome you.” She smiled at each of the men.

There! Case solved. Who knew how’d they feel after the spell’s influence over them ends, but she truly didn’t mind welcoming them after. Win-win.

This time, Gaara spoke up with a trembling voice, “S-Sakura, I’m so happy to hear that. I will follow you to the ends of the world. This, I vow.” To her shock, a few tears fell from his watery green eyes and pure yearning showed on his face. “I promise to always return to your side no matter what happens after this spell is over.” Gaara covered his mouth with a sob while Sakura walked to his seat and hugged the pitiful him. No one noticed the dark smile beneath his hand…

 _With this, Sakura will not be able to resist her maternal instincts._ He wrapped his arms around her waist she leaned over him and cooed, “I apologize for my neglect, Gaara.” She rubbed his back while she hugged him. 

The others frowned, but kept their peace. Sasori, however, eyed Gaara suspiciously. The younger sand warrior seemed just a bit too innocent for someone who survived the coliseum. Caged or not, even an isolated prisoner was sure to have seen things in the darkness.

Gaara proceeded with his next step as he shakily rose to his feet and leaned against Sakura’s smaller frame. “Please, my lady, can we talk in private? I fear I have done something wrong and I do not know how to confess.” Like a boy about to confess his sins, he squirmed in her arms and even let out a small whimper.

“Of course, Gaara. We can. I’m sorry everyone, but I’ll see you soon.” She smiled apologetically and left with Gaara. Now that they knew she didn’t have a real deadline to enter the dream itself and she just wanted to rush, she couldn’t use time as an excuse not to see them. And so, the men let Gaara lead Sakura away peacefully — but still followed behind. 

Gaara walked down the hall of the first floor and opened a door to an empty bedroom with plain white sheets and a view of the garden out the window. As soon as the two stepped in, Gaara slammed the door with his foot and used his sand magic to lock it. He also blocked the door on outside with sand. 

Sasori glared at the wall of sand that blocked entrance to the door. “Tch. I knew he was acting too innocent.” He blasted dark magic, but the wall held. “No matter, I’ll —“ Before he could finish, Kakashi clasped a hand on his shoulder.

“You know…there is no rush for the lady to leave, is there? And this is in line with our agreement if you recall. Remember the plan.” He looked at all of the men suggestively until they got the idea. Kisame was still confused, but even he guessed their intentions. 

With an unspoken acknowledgement, they walked away from the room and began to introduce Itachi and Kisame to the plan. 

  
……………………

…………………

………………

“I’m sorry, Sakura, but I have a confession.” He sat the well-meaning woman down on the bed while he kneeled before her. With his head hung low, he said, “I owe you my life, my freedom. But I…I am tainted. I have dared to love you when I should only hope to be your ever-present servant. I - I do not know what to do with these feelings. You must think I am filthy, shameful — “

“You are not filthy! Don’t you ever say that!” Sakura clasped her hands together on his and said, “I’m sorry for raising my voice, Gaara. But you have to break free from that line of thought!You are not shameful at all. You are strong and beautiful and deserve a real life outside of that cruel coliseum.”

“You really believe that? Then…may I love you?” He let slip a tear, aiding his broken image.

“Gaara…” Sakura found him beautiful and lovable, but like her feelings with the rest of the men, she feared to think of her feelings any deeper than that. Deep down, she still thought the spell’s powerful magic was the cause of their devotion. A normal love potion could do damage, but an entire dream world made from a fairy godmother? If such a love spell was tied in, the effect would be devastating. She truly cared for each of the men, but she couldn’t allow herself to be caught up in her feelings. If she did and it was all fake…It would be terrible for both her and the men that have been fooled with. No. She wouldn’t lie to them like that. 

“Gaara, I’m very touched and while I care deeply for you, I can not ignore the possibility that there are greater forces at work. Right now, we are in a spell and a powerful one where even sleep can be an option and wounds are healed with light. I cannot accept your confession, but if you still feel the same once the dream is over, then I’ll give you a proper answer.” She wiped a tear from his eye and said softly, “Will you forgive me?”

The once enraged warrior sniffled like a puppy and said, “I understand.” Not once did he break character as he looked into her eyes, “Then…I have another confession.” He blushed. 

“It’s okay. Go on.”

“That day you released me from my prison…when we held each other at the oasis…that was my first time.” Which was true. “Please, if you won’t accept my confession now, may you accept me like this? I know I’m not as powerful as the other men or as smart or humorous, but I can’t stop thinking about you. Unless, I am too unworthy…” He looked down again.

“Gaara…” Sakura felt her heart pull at his sad look and pulled his face towards hers for a kiss. Their lips met and she let him go. “If you can accept that this is for our enjoyment and can accept my cold heart, then I will confess that you are more than worthy. You are worthy, Gaara.”

She raised her arms and pulled the lean, muscled man to the bed. Gaara easily went with the flow and soon encased Sakura between his arms as he deepened the kiss. He mumbled between his lips, “Mm. My Sakura.”

He got up just to throw off his suit jacket and shirt and kicked off his shoes. Sakura was about to remove her clothes as well, but realized she was merely in a pink lacy dress that barely came to her mid-thighs and left it. She watched Gaara’s eyes darken with hunger and with a smile, guided his hand to her breast. 

“It’s okay, Gaara, come. Make me yours. I can handle it.” Sakura spoke to the beast inside Gaara, the wild man who was barely contained in the innocent act he put on. He probably assumed she didn’t know, but she knew. Because that was exactly how she was back home. To hide her darkening desires, she worked twice as hard to play the good daughter, although her efforts were wasted on her parents. She caught Gaara’s eye many times and saw that dark desire, yet he didn’t want to scare her. The very fact that he wanted her to love him with his gentle act made her…fall in love a bit more. The more she spent time with the men, the more she started deepen her affections, but she will never admit it. Not until the spell was over and she knew for sure these were her real feelings.

Because even emotions could be magicked. If this were also her trial, she couldn’t lose to such a subtle trick. Fae could be sneaky like that so she mustn’t lose her head. Still…

Sakura watched as Gaara lost control at her words and pounced on her. He tore apart her dress like it was tissue and buried his face between her breasts. Sucking at her nipples, he moved his hand between her legs just as Itachi taught him the last time…

This continued until Gaara finally entered her and they danced with their limbs as ecstasy made him come.

Sakura threw her head back and he thrusted deeper into her, faster and bit her neck just barely. He marked her skin with little nips that trailed from her neck to her breasts until he was satisfied.

“Sakura, Sakura. I love you. You are the moon of the desert, the light which guides in the dark. My Word, my Guidance. I am lost without you.” Gaara confessed over and over as if to imprint it in her mind lest she forgot about him. And so, with one last thrust, he came into her, wrapping his arms around her wide waist and nestled into her full breasts with moan. 

As soon as they finished, Gaara was sound asleep in her arms. Sakura giggled at the wild man who nestled against her, hugging her like she was his only comfort. She enjoyed the bliss before slowly sneaking out of his arms and covered him with the blanket then caressed his face and kissing his forehead. “Sleep well, Gaara.” The poor man’s eyes were ringed with shadow like an insomniac and if this helped him sleep, then so be it. 

She lifted her torn dress and sighed before stealing Gaara’s white long-sleeved shirt. When she put it on, the sleeves were longer than her arms and the hem went down to her knees. She laughed to herself, “This shirt covers more than my dress!”

She peeked at the door and sure enough, sand puddled below it. It seemed that once Gaara slept, so did the power which moved the sand. 

Stretching her limbs, she noticed that her energy didn’t seem the least bit lacking. Even after a nice session with the sand warrior, she actually felt more energetic…Her lips pulled back as she remembered her dream with Godmother Ella. The nectar certainly did as she said it would. Even now, she felt like she could run a hundred miles. 

_I wonder what else I could do with my body? So far I’ve flown, fought against mages and now I’m basically acting like a succubus for whom sex is but breakfast. Exactly who am I becoming?_

Sakura mulled over her thoughts, but let it be. She regretted nothing. And so, she quietly left the room to deal with the coming dream.

After she left, Gaara opened his eyes and chuckled deeply. “She really is quite energetic. Absolutely perfect.” It seemed that she truly was a strong woman in all regards. Good. He picked a strong woman. And so he picked up her dress and held it to his nose. With a blissful sigh, he muttered, “The others will make their move soon.”

Sure enough, Sakura found Kakashi waiting for her outside the door. He said, “I’ll be your partner this time. The others are, how do you say, settling in.” Kakashi didn’t wait for her answer as he led her up the stairs to the seventh room. 

He thought back to their meeting while Gaara snatched the lady away. They had agreed that they will entice Sakura to spend more time in the castle, but won’t hinder her work either. And they wouldn’t interfere with each other either. If they were to truly all find a way to live with Sakura once the spell ended, they had to cooperate now and get used to each other. Itachi agreed without hesitation while Kisame’s eyes lit up at the idea of ‘no interference.’ He got the intention and by the look on that menacing swordsman’s face, he had quite a few ideas to share with Sakura during their private time. 

Soon the castle will be chaos. But what else could be expected from a house full of beasts?

Kakashi gazed down at Sakura like a wolf in sheep’s clothing and said, “Shall we?” 

Then they entered the room.

…………………………

……………………

………………..

Once more Sakura saw a vision of the soul’s backstory play out in her mind…

First, she saw Itachi’s face as he stood over a couple, their heads fallen off their shoulders. And before him, a boy collapsed to his knees. He cried out, “Big brother! Why? Why did you kill our parents?!” But before she could see his answer, the vision fast forwarded to the boy grown up and in black armor. Sakura had yet to get over the shock of seeing Itachi over his parents’ dead bodies, but she knew the man. He wouldn’t do such a thing without reason. He would die for his loved ones and from the confession he told her back when she first met him, he was deemed a traitor and betrayed. Sakura knew this so she still had faith, but she pitied his little brother who would have never known his confession…

She watched as the boy-turned-man now stood before what she assumed were the clan heads. They sat on high chairs and looked down on the man. One elderly man said, “Sasuke, we have great news. Your brother has finally been punished for his crime. If he wasn’t needed in our forces against the southern clans, we would have executed him for the crimes of killing his parents. We are sorry for making you wait. But he has been declared dead on the battlefield. Rejoice!” Sakura narrowed her eyes, Kisame said they spread news he died before he his battle even ended…so would this be based before Itachi met her? The implication sent her into more shock. The spell could mess with time?!

Sasuke looked up at them coldly before bowing deeply and said, “You have my gratitude.” Then, without waiting for permission, he left the room. One of the elders sneered, “That brat —“ But another one held up his hand. “Enough, this was the price for Itachi’s cooperation. Let the boy stew.” And once more, they focused on their war efforts. 

The vision followed Sasuke as he got on his horse and rode off. Sakura studied him while he rode into the forest. The man really looked like his brother, but while Itachi had a calm, worldly air about him, Sasuke was more fiery. Despite his cold exterior, his dark obsidian eyes always looked like they wanted to burn something. After riding deep into the forest, he met with a hooded man and said, “What have you found?”

The man went to kneel and spoke, “I have found out the elder’s plans, but there is something else. It may disturb you, lord.”

“Go on.”

“First, the elders do plan on taking our estate into their common pool of resources. We will be made puppets to their cause by force.”

“As expected. Now that is confirmed, what of the disturbance?” He didn’t even blink at the news of his elders’ betrayal. His parent’s estate was a stronghold that was envied. And as the old head of the clan, the elders couldn’t just push their will on his parents. Even with their death, they held back from pushing Sasuke around as the very life of his elder brother Itachi Uchiha stilled their hand. Traitor or not, his power was enough to keep Itachi alive despite the murder of their parents, and as extension the head of the family. But with Itachi now dead…nothing will stop them. 

He wanted Itachi dead for so long, but he didn’t have the power to go against the elders. He always walked a fine line between duty and hate. He cursed his name, but still needed him to live until he gained more power. Now he finally had power and that Itachi was finally dead, so he should be happy. So why…did he feel something was wrong?

The hooded man hesitated before punching fists to the ground as he bowed deeper. “Lord! I apologize for what I am about to say, but we have done Lord Itachi a great dishonor! The Elders were the ones who ordered the deaths of your parents. The reason Itachi lived until now was because it was part of their deal. In return for taking the fall for killing the head, they would let you live instead of killing every last man at the estate. He did it to save our lives!”

Suddenly, Sasuke’s indifferent mask broke as he felt a fire burn at his gut. Sakura felt the rage pour out of him as the magic linked their emotions during the vision. But even without that bond, she was enraged herself. _They put Itachi in such a predicament?! I’ll…I’ll… **Make them pay!**_

Sakura felt Sasuke’s rage fuel her own, but forced herself to take deep breaths and calm down. No matter what, she knew instinctively if she went down this path, it wouldn’t end with a massacre, but she would lose sight of something important. When she finally gained control of her emotions, she found Sasuke and lifted the man in the air with his hand around his neck. 

“If you are lying, I will slit your throat and have your family leave our home. Are you sure?”

“Y-Yes, Lord! I have proof!” He gasped and Sasuke dropped him. Breathing deeply, he continued, “The Contract.” He pulled out from his robe pocket a simple parchment, but unlike other papers, this one was impossible to burn until the conditions are deemed met in its entirety. As a clan of mages and warriors, they were also known for their affiliation with demons and in order to create The Contract, a demon was summoned through sacrifice. Such an art was forbidden in the kingdom and within the clan, but if the Elders planned it…

Sasuke gritted his teeth and took the parchment. Sure enough, he sensed the magic on it and read the letter. Sakura loomed over his shoulder as she read. It detailed Itachi’s agreement to assassinating the Uchiha Clan Head and taking the fall in return for the guarantee to protect the lives of his brother Sasuke and the people who lived in their stronghold. Once the deed was done, Itachi would face confinement and go to battle under the Elders’ direct order. Failure in doing so would result in Sasuke’s life being forfeit and he will lose his right as heir to the clan.

Sasuke’s hands trembled as he wobbled on his feet and a chill spread throughout his body. All this time, Itachi was trying to protect him and their home. For years, Itachi was kept in a cell, fed meagerly and only let out to go into battle like a war prisoner cursed to obedience. Sasuke never once questioned why Itachi claimed to hate his parents although he never once lacked anything and even was a perfect elder brother. He only saw his pain and never thought to deeply consider Itachi’s actions and notice the inconsistencies. And his parents never fought back — he just caught Itachi in the act as they kneeled before him and let him take their heads. None of it made sense until now. If only he used his brain, if only he didn’t just hate —

Sakura felt his self-loathing and the clear message of his emotion: 

He failed as his brother. 

And with that, the vision fast-forward to another time. This time, it was Sasuke who stood over the headless bodies of the Elders. But Sasuke’s rage didn’t dissipate and only grew stronger and soon he began to weed out who supported the elders and all those connected to Itachi’s contract. She watched as Sasuke massacred his enemies one by one, and the once upright man became the monster he hated. The more he found connected to the assassination order, the more he found out how corrupt his clan and country truly was, but now he found out that the King himself was involved…

And the last words Sasuke spoke before the vision faded resounded in her ears, 

**“I will destroy this country.”**

Bells rang furiously and Sakura tried to cover her ears against the barrage of noise to no avail. The spell’s voice returned:

_[ **EMERGENCY SITUATION: HIGH ALERT!!!**_

_Due to soul’s potential in causing catastrophic consequences, exception is made — Mission will be clarified for this dream. SPECIAL EXCEPTION: Dream will last TWO days and nights._

_Details: Soul is Sasuke Uchiha. Change His Path or Kill._

_Mission: Please change life path of soul in question or hundreds of thousands will die in the coming war. Convince Sasuke Uchiha to abandon plans — or be forced to kill him. If you kill him, there will be no consequence, but do so only as a last resort. If you fail to kill him or change his ways, and he succeeds in destroying country, dream spell will immediately collapse and your powers will be taken. You will return home. This affects all of the surrounding countries.]_

And then she appeared on a mountain — with an angry Sasuke Uchiha looming over her.

Kakashi’s voice roared from next to her, “Shit! Avoid his eyes and look at his feet or you’ll fall prey to his sharingan! Again, do NOT look into his eyes!”

Sakura hurried to look down while erecting a light barrier around her and Kakashi. CLASH! Sasuke swung his sword against her magic shield.

Sakura swore as she tried to think of her next move. _Talk about getting right into the action! I wish they would say WHO be in the dream world before I entered. It would make it much easier if Itachi were here! This was too much! I can’t kill Itachi’s beloved little brother!_

Kakashi must have shared her thoughts since he yelled towards the dark avenger, “Why are we fighting? Your brother Itachi is alive! We’re friends!”

“Lies! My brother died on a suicide mission. Seeing as you stole one of our eyes, then you must be here for another!” Sasuke charged at them again.

“This ain’t a sale — I don’t need two demon eyes!” Kakashi felt his temper rose. He hated people rushing and cutting him off — so what if he was the same way?! “You know what, I’m just going to beat your ass, brat.”

“Not helping Kakashi!!” Sakura roared as she kept up the barrier. At this rate, they were just sitting ducks, but she saw how he fought. He was terribly fast. One mistake could lead to his sword through her heart before she even lifted a finger.

“He deserves it! Damn it, if I knew this world would be about Itachi’s brother, I’d just kick him in with you! Let him deal with the psycho.”

“Tell me about it.” Sakura sighed.

“Sakura.” Kakashi gritted his teeth. “I do not want to kill Itachi’s kin.”

“Neither do I. We’ll have to find a way to persuade him, then. I’ll keep him occupied while you subdue him. Ready for another fight?”

“With you? Always.” And with that, Sakura let down the barrier and the two charged into action.

Sakura yelled while she focused her power and channeled them into arrows, “Itachi wouldn’t want you to kill the King, Sasuke!” She aimed an arrow towards his legs in hopes to immobilize him. As soon as she saw Kakashi behind him, she let the arrow go. _Fwoosh!_

“Don’t tell me what he would have wanted!” Sasuke roared and lifted his sword and black flames erupted along its blade. He swung down in time to cut down the arrow of light like it was wooden. Then in a single fluid motion, he spun around to kick Kakashi who blocked him with crossed arms. Kakashi slid backwards until he dug his heels into the ground and regained his bearing. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

Sakura raised her hand and tried to encase him in a ball of light to lift him in the air, but he launched a black flame from his mouth and as soon as her light magic surrounded him, the flame ate it away. “What kind of magic is this?!” Even Sasori couldn’t disperse her magic like he did so effortlessly. 

Kakashi went for the attack again, activating his demon eye, but Sasuke merely watched him come with a smirk. The two sharingan eyes clashed against each other and Kakashi fell toward the ground at his feet.

“Kakashi!” Sakura screamed as she threw out her arm and focused all of her power on Kakahi’s limp form, carrying him away before Sasuke could stab his sword. She used her magic to add force to her feet as she dashed toward the lone Uchiha in rapid speed. 

_My power is useless against him and Kakashi is down. What do I do? Godmother Ella, what am I supposed to do? Think, Sakura, think!_

Instantly, she shot out her hand and a sword of light appeared. She was within striking distance of Sasuke when she cut down at him.

“Useless.” Sasuke said as he moved to block with his black flames —

But Sakura dropped the sword and instead, focused her power in her other fist and punched him in the gut. He coughed out blood as he flew back, letting go of his sword, and collided into the trees. Bark broke off as Sasuke fell to the ground, groaning in pain. 

He spat out blood before glaring at the interfering mage who claimed to know his dead brother. “Why are you getting in my way? If you truly know my brother, then you understand why I have to do this. The King aided in forcing him to kill our parents and destroyed his honor. He took everything away from him — his family, his home and his future. I can’t forgive that! Have you ever felt so much hatred that you would burn everything to ashes. Have you?!!” He roared as black markings slowly crawled over his skin. His red eyes burned as he whispered almost as a prayer, “The demon take me. May all burn to ashes.”

Sakura remembered her anger at her parents’ coldness, but that didn’t matter as much as the memories of the pain of her citizens. And while she hated being trapped in her own body as a noble for breeding, she knew there was great pain in the fates of those who had it worse. Those whose lives were just as feeling as hers, but more powerless against the injustices of life. And if Sasuke succeeded, many families would face such tragedies. 

She all of her power surround her until it solidified into a golden armor. With a sword of light, she got into a battle dance. “I am most sorry for your experiences, Sasuke, and I may never know the depths of your hate over your brother’s fate. However,” She glared at him as she remembered the faces of those she was too powerless to help. The men and women who were tortured, the fear of children as they were whipped for stealing bread to eat. Even when she tried to secretly help, it was never enough. Suffering was everywhere she turned once she stepped out of her little tower. She couldn’t let Sasuke go, brother of Itachi or not! “If you do this, your actions could cause a war for power to be King. Or even allow an invasion from those eyeing the throne. There are other ways to make him pay for his crimes, but causing a massacre isn’t one of them! And I won’t have that on your conscience! Itachi wouldn’t have wanted that!”

“Don’t tell me what he would have wanted!” He roared as he charged at her with full force, a sword made of black flames manifesting in his hand. “I won’t let anybody get in my way!!!”

Sakura also charged forth, but inwardly she prayed. So far, regular use of her power was weaker than his, but if she used up all of the magic she could muster out of her in one blast…maybe that would be enough to end it in one hit. She wasn’t a magical genius and she wasn’t a warrior, but at least she had a lot of magic stored within her. So she screamed and when she was within striking distance, madly released all of her power in one explosive blast of magic.

Sasuke’s sword swung down at the same time and hit her armor of light. The two opposite elements collided and the ensuing explosion swept them off of their feet. BOOOOOM!!!

All Sakura could see was light and his sword of flames bearing down at her shoulder. Intense pain caused her to scream before the black flames dissipated and she found herself flat on the ground struggling to breathe. In her peripheral vision, she could see Sasuke on the ground as well. 

With a shaking hand, Sakura mustered up the last of her strength to heal her wound. It took a long while before she could stop feeling the intense pain and she sighed in relief. But before she could attempt to move up, she found red eyes looming over her. The black markings disappeared from his skin, but Sasuke struggled on his feet until he collapsed to his knees next to her head. 

With a dead man’s gaze, he reached out to grab her head and pulled her by the hair until they were nose-to-nose. Green eyes met red.

Sasuke growled down at her as his hand shook, “Before I kill you, I will find out the truth on how you know my brother.” And she was sucked into his sharingan.

……………………………

…………………………..

…………………………

Sakura found herself in a realm of red and Sasuke stood before her. He said, “Now, show me your memories with Itachi.” 

Instantly, she felt an invasive force crawl through her mind, but she was powerless to stop it. By now, she was out of energy and can only see Sasuke’s eyes widen in surprise. That surprise morphed into shock then soon a heavy blush colored his cheeks. 

Sakura wanted to cry in mortification as she guessed exactly which memories were playing in his head. “If I knew you could do this, I’d have let you capture me earlier. Well? Are you done prying?!” 

“Almost.” His eyes narrowed as he seemed lost in thought. 

“Pervert!” She ignored the fact that she did the exact same thing when she entered his world and squeaked out, “Now that you know everything, will you cooperate already?”

“Hn. As long as my brother is alive, then I have no qualms for you. Even though it is hard to believe a fariy godmother would go this far to help you and us…In the end, I owe you.” His eyes had started to soften, but they were still lost in thought. His face went through a funny range of expressions before settling for curious. Finally, his ears turned pink. “So you prefer to be on top.”

Sakura couldn’t take it anymore and yelled, “Sasuke Uchiha! Get your mind out of my mine!”

Sasuke finally snapped out of his reverie and then after a moment of silence, bowed his head. “I…acted rashly. I am sorry.” As soon as he found out that his brother was alive and well, it was as if a curse had been lifted and he could only repent. “And…”

Sasuke released Sakura from the realm and they returned to reality. As soon as Sakura got used to the change in scenery, she found Sasuke’s head over hers as he looked about to cry. “Thank you, Sakura Haruno, for saving my brother’s life.”

Shocked at the sudden change, and wondering if all Uchiha were hot-cold, she stumbled over her words, “I - um, it’s no problem. He’s helped me many times. And I imagine he would be glad to see you, too, Sasuke. As you must have seen, he never blamed you.”

“I saw.” Sasuke closed his eyes as he slowly regained his composure and soon the poker face came back. He opened his eyes and the red faded to black. As soon as it did, Kakashi moaned from behind them as he was released from Sasuke’s sharingan realm. 

Sakura struggled to get up, but Sasuke held her and carried her over to Kakashi. She immediately called out when they got near, “Are you okay?”

The silver-haired rogue groaned before he spat out, “Just dandy. No thanks to little bro here stabbing me with swords in a really painful nightmare. I haven’t been stabbed so many times since I joined this sea voyage as a guard.” 

“…Sorry.” Sasuke mumbled. “I thought you were mocking me when you claimed Itachi was alive.”

Kakashi whacked him in the head hard for the torture before he shook off his hand and sighed. “Meh. Your brother was worst when we fought.”

“Excuse me?” Sakura arched her brow and cracked her knuckles. “You two fought?”

Kakashi stiffened and held up his hands in surrender. “It was waaay in the beginning — we were the only ones in the castle so I attacked and got my ass whooped. Then we formed an alliance when you came back with the airhead and the puppeteer.”

Sasuke crunched his brow. “There are quite a few men to compete with…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just trying to understand why a fae would want you to help me.”

 _He really went through my memories quickly._ Sakura sighed, “At least now you know the whole story. It’s still uncomfortable to know that your memories could be pried into like this.”

“Don’t worry. Only a few of our clan have the abilities to do this.”

“Sorry to ruin the moment, Sakura dear, but did you just say Itachi’s little brother went through your memories? Allll of them?” He wiggled his brows suggestively.

Sakura flushed then immediately squeaked out, “You know what —“

Sasuke chuckled, “Yes. Itachi is certainly alive and well.” Then he pulled her close and his eyes shone with just a bit of insanity still left in them. “I am curious. How did you subdue my brother? He was never one to settle.”

Eh? Itachi was a playboy before? That explained a lot. “I want to ask that, too.”

“Interesting.” He let her go and stood up. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” The Uchiha heir walked into the forest and several minutes later, came back with a bag. “I threw it as soon as I noticed intruders. It’s hard to find decent supplies out here.” He dug in the bag and took out a couple of vials. Handing them out and taking another for himself, he explained, “Healing potions.”

Kakashi downed his without a word while Sakura followed suit. True to his word, she felt a lot livelier and even the burn on her shoulder completely faded away. She gasped, “This is high-grade material! These cost a fortune.” She was out of power before, but now she felt energy return to her and once more felt the familiar hum of magic under her fingertips. “Thank you.”

“It is only a part of what I owe you.” This time, Sasuke sighed as he sat on the ground. “Now that I owe you a life-debt for saving my brother, what now? I still want to kill the King, but I’ll settle for overthrowing him.”

Sakura blinked at how casual he made that sound, but let it go. He certainly got things done. She thought about her political training and the best way to prevent the worst scenario from playing out…Finally, she had an idea, “Well, how about we use all the evidence you collected to have the lords make him step down? Delegate the paperwork, erm, I mean leave the lords to deal with the corruption? Surely, you have one candidate who would make a good king?”

“Hmm. The prince is actually not bad now that I think of it. His father has tried to kill him three times since he was threatened by him…”

Kakashi looked back and forth between the two nobles as they discussed changing the future King of the country like it was taking out the laundry. Before he was an assassin for hire, he was a simple man with simple needs. Politics always seemed too much of a hassle. But now he was a tad bit jealous over Sasuke. “Got it, we mail the evidence or what?” He grumbled.

Sakura paused and tapped her lips. She mused out loud, “I can transport us with magic to each Lord in secret — ones you trust, Sasuke. You’ll show your evidence and if they refuse, then just sharingan them. Haha.” Sakura blinked innocently as she began to work out the details of the plan and the men appreciated her conniving side. 

The mage’s eyes flashed as her plan pieced itself together. An evil smile plastered on her face as she spoke, “I should be at full power tomorrow. How far away are we from the castle?”

Sasuke answered, “About fifteen miles. These roads have been full of bandits until I came here so no one really travels this way.”

“Good. I can get us there in a quick second tomorrow.” Sakura looked up at the skies as they began to turn orange and red. Soon the sun will set and night would come. She yawned. 

Sasuke immediately got up and held out his hand, “Come. There is a cabin not far from here. And a small lake. It’s part of our clan’s properties. Nobody lives there anymore.”

“I see. Thank you.” She took his hand and the three set off.

Along the way, Kakashi secretly instigated the younger Uchiha, “You know, your brother was the one encouraging the threesomes, foursomes — I could go on. I’m afraid you won’t be able to compete with him.”

“I’m not competing with anybody.” Sasuke huffed.

“Uh-huh.” Kakashi simply nodded. “Right. Wellll, all in Itachi’s favor, then. You should just give in or lose your only chance.”

“…” Sasuke remained silent until they reached the cabin. 

After settling in and eating some dried beef that was stored away, Sakura smelled her arm and grimaced. “I can’t sleep like this. I’m going to take a quick dip in the river.”

“I’ll join you.” Kakashi said and Sakura rolled her eyes, but didn’t mind. Sasuke sat alone in the cabin for a while longer…then followed after them.

Sakura jumped in the river, only yelping a bit when the cold water hit her skin, but laughed. When she was younger, she used to escape the castle to swim in the river at night. The lands near her home was always heavily guarded so she only needed to find a secret area between two rocks to enjoy herself freely. Kakashi jumped in after her and she laughed when he threw water on her. 

She had just lifted her hair over her shoulder when she noticed Sasuke had begun stripping at the river bank. She flushed. Although she was sure he saw her completely naked in her memories, and she wasn’t as shy about her body anymore, seeing Sasuke strip sent a thrill down her spine. And she turned away with wide eyes. _Morals, Sakura! That’s Itachi’s brother!_

Kakashi noticed her sudden shyness before he smirked and swam over. He whispered in her ear, “We had a talk. Itachi and I.”

“Oh?” Sakura shivered as his hot breath tickled her neck.

“We were just playing a game of twenty questions. One was, what if we ran into someone we knew ran in your dreams. And then I brought up his little brother — it couldn’t be a coincidence that Itachi and I both had sharingan eyes and were targeted souls by the spell, so what if Sasuke was also chosen? You know what he told me?” He traced his palms up her sides.

“Ah…What?” Sakura heard Sasuke enter the water and made it a point not to look his way. Even so, she was sure he was eavesdropping as the night was so quiet that even the sound of a breaking branch would crack loudly. 

“He said…So what.” Kakashi lips spread into a smile as he kissed her neck. “As long as it tied you to us, he wasn’t afraid of competition. In fact, he welcomed his brother tried. Itachi is quite a strange one, no?”

Suddenly, Sakura found another pair of hands on her shoulders and she looked up into Sasuke’s obsidian gaze. Desire burned within them and she gulped. Goosebumps trickled down her skin as the chill of the river clashed with the heat of their bodies. She whispered, “Sasuke.”

Before she could talk herself out of it, Sasuke already placed his lips on hers and all reasoning drifted away…

Soon, the quiet night echoed with her moans and screams as Sasuke went wild on her and his fingers played within her folds like a minstrel with his muse. When she seemed to suck in a few of his fingers, he took them out and bit her lips gently. He trailed kisses down her neck until he arrived at her full breasts and sucked on her nipples. His palms squeezed her buttocks, relishing the plumpness while his member grew hard. 

Kakashi moved her long hair to the side as he kissed the back of her neck and slowly trailed his hands down her thighs, reaching around to lift her legs from below and spread them apart. He held her open, fingers sliding against her inner thighs, while he said, “Go on.” 

Sasuke aimed at her center and thrust in smoothly with the help of the water. Sakura threw her head back as she felt him enter her along with the water and he moved against her rhythmically. “You like that? Huh? Sakura…” He moaned in her ear as he pounded into her her faster and faster while Kakashi held her up. 

Sakura felt another tip aim at the chrysanthemum behind her and Kakashi’s hoarse voice rang against her other ear. “Yes, like that darling, take me in…” 

Two hard members entered her as they took advantage of the river. She bounced between them, carried up by the water and held down between their arms. “Ah, ah, ahhh!”

Over and over, they released their desires into her and Sasuke grunted as he completely fell for this woman’s lust-filled eyes. The emeralds sparkled under the stars and moon as she moaned out their names…

It was a long night until they made it back to the cabin. And even then, it wasn’t enough.

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**The Next Morning —**

As soon as Sakura snuck them past each Lord’s security detail by flying them over the walls in seconds, Sasuke’s presence alone was enough to shake the nobility to action. In this kingdom, nobody could afford to go against the notorious Uchiha Clan and their demonic Sharingan. Especially not the ill-tempered heir to the clan. The news of the Elders’ deaths hadn’t been exposed or they would have called him the new Head by now. 

Later on, the Lords convene and Sasuke takes the lead in overthrowing the King. Sakura used her light magic to dramatize the scene as a pillar of light attracted the entire kingdom’s attention and lured them to the great hall where the King’s corruption and sins were exposed. With Sasuke and the Lords backing, the prince was named in King and just like that — the last of the offenders who dared to abuse Itachi’s loyalty was taken down. 

Sasuke now stood to the side while he watched Sakura begin to heal those who looked sickly in the crowd after the drama ended. She smiled as she worked her miracles and the people praised her. 

His eyes flashed as he gazed upon the oblivious woman. She could really change things…And as his partner, she could change this world even.

He wanted to be a part of it. After fighting for most of his life, he had never found anything worth fighting for until she fell into his life. He was always focused on revenge, but she challenged him again and again. 

He noticed Kakashi sitting on a bench watching her as well and he walked over. The Uchiha heir stood before the bench and bowed. “I apologize for trying to kill you when we first met.”

“Nothing new. Hey, why don’t you have a seat?” Kakashi patted the spot on bench. “We have a lot to talk about regarding Lady Sakura.”

“We do.” Sasuke sat down and cut to the point, “I intend to claim her as my own.”

“Well, tough luck kid. So do six other men — your brother included. And our lady here doesn’t like the castle life.” Kakashi leaned back against the wooden bench and looked at him from the side. “Unless you had another idea?”

“…” Sasuke ran his hand through his hair and said, “I’m done with the Uchiha. There is no place for me there. And I do not intend on stealing her from anybody, not that I could. I want to join your ranks.” Sasuke held Kakashi’s gaze. “There is no way Sakura will be living an idle life and if my brother and you are some of the men who follow her, I believe fate has different plans for the mage. I want to make sure I am there to see it happen. Not that I plan on losing to any of you — she’ll soon find I am her best choice.” He smirked.

“Oho? The lone avenger is willing to cooperate with his rivals. You sure you can compete with Itachi?”

“Heh. He’ll find I’m not the same boy he knew.” Sasuke smiled. “I have a lot to speak with him about.” He recalled the first memory Sakura had of Itachi as he laid dying on the battlefield and the words he spoke. “It’ll be good to call a place home.”

The two sat in a comfortable silence until Sakura finished with her work. She had walked over to them as she laughed. “Can you believe this kid called me a master mage? How sweet! And all I did was heal his paper cut! Then I got a paper cut myself! How ironic.”

“Why don’t you heal it?” Kakashi asked.

“Mm. It’s only a little cut. I do not need to heal everything with magic, you know.” She shrugged. 

“Let me see.” Sasuke grabbed her hand and a tiny cut graced her finger. He saw a tiny drop of blood and licked it. “There. All clean.”

“That — Uh, unsanitary! Yes!” Sakura stammered again as she went into a moral crisis. Yes, she had a good time last night, but now that she thought about it clearly, even if Itachi was okay with it, it was still quite embarrassing! A lady caught between two brothers sounded just like the title of a scandalous novel!

Kakashi and Sasuke shared a look. Kakashi rose to his feet and said, “I better make sure no troublemakers take advantage of the chaos.” He waved his hand as he left the two of them alone. 

“Kakashi?!” Sakura yelped as she turned back where she came from, “Well, I better attend to the sick — Eep!”

Sasuke grabbed her wrist and gently twirled her to face him. He held her chin between between his thumb and finger and leaned closer. “Why are you running away from me?”

Sakura glared up at him. “I am not running away from anybody! Look, I’m close to your brother. Aren’t you hesitant to mess with your brother’s woman?” Sure they shared an intimate evening in the bath, but when they returned to the castle, would he really be able to share with his brother. Even now, Sakura felt a bit scandalous being the center of such a drama.

“Are you his woman? I heard you had men at your feet, but none could claim you. Kakashi informed me of your situation while you weren’t around.”

 _Damn that rogue! What was his game?_ Sakura’s lip pulled back. 

Sasuke let go of her chin and instead brought her palm to his lips, kissing it softly. He said, “This has nothing to do with my brother or with any other. Right now you are with me and I am here to declare I will be at your side. You are troublesome, feisty and always find trouble, so you need someone like me by your side to help you. I believe you won’t just sit by and spend your life in luxury or isolation, you are destined to be a great power in this world and I will help you realize your vision when you realize you have one.”

Before Sakura could voice her doubts, he dropped her hand and continued, “You are the type to help the weak and helpless where you can, but you aren’t naive enough to throw your life away for every person you see. With your soft heart, I predict you will create another way to serve as many people as you can and I will be your power to do so. I’m tired of fighting for revenge or for wars. Please, Sakura, let me by your side and I will fight for you.”

The proud Uchiha dropped to his knee and vowed, “I, Sasuke Uchiha, vow to remain by Lady Sakura’s side for as long as she lets me, to serve, protect, and cherish. Or may the gods burn me at the seven gates of hell.”

Sakura’s eyes widened as Sasuke smiled up at her with determined eyes. He truly believed she was meant for great things…Even she assumed she would be content with making a living and helping people little by little, but Sasuke was right. With their power, they could do great things to help more people than she ever thought possible.

The avenger was the one who believed in a greater vision. He believed in her capabilities. 

And Sakura’s heart beat a little faster.

Suddenly the world shone bright with white light and the spell’s voice cheered,

_[Spell has been finished early. Congratulations on your accomplishment — An emergency situation has been dealt with unprecedented speed. The Fae look kindly at you, Sakura Haruno._

_Dream reward: To See Past Vengeance and Look Towards a Brighter Future. And To See Underneath the Underneath — the Ability to Achieve Great Things Lie in Having Great Vision]_

For the first time, the dream ended without Sakura falling asleep and once more, the world faded away…

**END DREAM.**

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**Meanwhile, back at the Castle…**

Deidara looked at his collection of small smoke bombs like a mother. “With you, she’ll be lured to my studio. Be good, chickies.”

In another room, Kisame looked at the small indoor baths with a wicked grin…

Gaara inspected a doctor’s office, Kakashi found a massage parlor and Itachi claimed the library. Each of their minds worked furiously as they imagined Sakura wandering into their traps — erm, humble rest spots.

And so the enchanted castle became a new playground for the affections of one powerful woman. And a certain fairy godmother laughed,

“Have fun, my dears. May your dreams come true.”

  
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 **AUTHOR NOTE:** *taps mic* Long Ass Note Ahead: 

Hello? Hello, testing! Ah, mic’s working. 

Wassup ladies of nefarious realms! WitchySkies here!

Now, I have a few things to go over, so please sit down and have some tea. Kakashi will serve the cookies. There seems to be an interest into the intricacies of reverse harems, so please bear with me. If you’re curious on how the story ended up this way, read on! If not, don’t read on and please come visit in the next chapter :) Either way, take some Earl Grey, Kisame really added a nice twist to the tea.

Still here? Okay! Let’s proceed with today’s [NARUTO MEN WARS — Erm, LOVE BATTLE] Meeting!

SO. For the fans who are rooting for the poor neglected souls of dangerously seductive shinobi, I have a message to both stomp on and heal your aching heart — 

The story took a life of its own. While I intended at first for this story to be one shot per guy, it grew up, beat me in the face and told me to let it wear spiky boots. So, after much thought (and visits to fantasy hospitals), the story got its way with me. And suddenly, it became a field of opportunity. Had to wait until this chapter to announce so I don’t spoil the castle’s role my bad. The dreams will be the roots that grow the foundation of the men’s alliances, but the real conniving play will come…at the castle! BOOM.

AT THE CASTLE ITSELF, since time doesn’t start until the dream is entered, that’s where the single play comes in. Cause, ya know, there are soooo many rooms in a castle LOL. So if y’all looked forward to private time cause you ain’t got Itachi’s kink, then there ya go. If that’s not enough, then I’m sorry but Kakashi is waiting for the bill. (I’m milking this cafe metaphor to the end). 

As for why any of that is important, read below.

  
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**SPOILER — ish: WARNING AGAIN POSSIBLE SPOILER IF IT WEREN’T OBVIOUS IN THE HINTS BUT THIS CONFIRMS IT ——— > COVER YOUR EYES!!!**

This is a harem end story. I’m trying to not just build up Sakura’s route points (haha I laugh), but also camaraderie between the men. It’s going to end with a happy family, but HOW that happens will be left a mystery! Last thing I need is to turn Sakura’s house into a novel on the tragedies of an emperor’s cut-throat harem. If imperial beauties were all ninjas, no one would sit on the the throne. Heeeey, ideas….Ahem. Focus! Anyway, short version: Story became a whole dream-castle field of “opportunities” instigated by the mastermind fairy godmother. Women intuitions are scary, yo. Or are men predictable in front of women they love? IDK. Happy ending fairy tales please!

**SPOILER OVER. END. DONE.**

OH ZE EYES!! PROTECT ZE EYES FROM ZE EVILS OF CLUES!!! SCAT SCOOBY DOO!!!

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Ok, so that’s settled :) If this is not your thing, in the future, I DO plan on one-shots that aren’t harems, so please look out for that. Until then, I got way too many ideas that need writing. 

If you want to know more back-story on the plot or whatev, read on! But first….a commercial break!

_Let’s play a little game:_

Imagine. You’re at a butler cafe in France (work with me here). Itachi takes your order while Kisame is cooking creme brulee. Sasori is accounting and Deidara is doing an art performance. Gaara is by your side as company while the others are in front harassing customers to come in. Then you realize this is not a cafe, but a host club and your bill is astronomical. Kakashi looks down at you evilly with check in hand — there’s only one way out. What do you do?

Answer time! You RUN. 

— And that, my friends, is the secret to getting all of the men to chase you. Buy Sakura’s love potions now! 

OK! Commercial break is over, back to over-explaining my smutty fairy tale to escape homework:

ON THE TOPIC OF THE DREAMS in case there was confusion: 

I really wanted to see how the friendships between the men would be. Sexy times AND male bond building? Two birds hit with one stone! And I TRIED to give even screen time, but ya know, plot-wise it makes sense to add Itachi and Deidara where they were. Cause this is not canon obvi, but the influences are in my brain (Dei and Sasori were partners, same with Itachi and Kisame). Didn’t want Sasuke’s route to be TOO easy so added Itachi’s influence back to back cause Kisame was right before Sasuke. All technical stuff, but this story is a fun, light read so if ya curious — that’s why.

As for THIS chapter, added Kakashi because in the anime they were teacher-student, so that influence it still somewhere in my subconscious. Sorry to my other babies lolol — Gaara be like, “where’s my screen time?!” 

**AND SO!!!! THE BIG CONCLUSION!!!:**

The CASTLE ROUTE was opened!!! Yay! (Imagining an Otome game scenario LOL) How things end up will be a mystery, but it IS a big castle….and that means plenty of PRIVATE time…So for all the pairs who didn’t get much time in the dreams will have new chances, sorry not sorry. 

I had to wait until this chapter to announce the castle as an open playing field although I tried to hint at it earlier. I need to work on that hinting thing.

WELL! I hope you enjoy the story so far. Reverse harems are a-building!

Honestly, the whole story is crack pairings with fun vibes so if ya chill with that, let’s get on this surfboard and surf this harem road. *Sing it with me now!*

Writing Wish Lists for Ikebukuro,

WitchySkies

P.S. All of the characters have a sexy side I wanted to explore. Ain’t gonna lie, but using certain characters with certain dreams made it easier on the plot (Ex: Kisame didn’t respect the others as much as he respected Itachi yo. True bro bond #jealous). But I don’t have all my favs here (Ex: Yamato. I wish you were in this story…SOB). So trying to equal the playing field with the castle. 

The only reason this story is limited is because I don’t want to write another hundred chapters since I ship almost everyone with Sakura ha (Am I the only one who took a fancy to Hinata’s almost-husband on road to ninja? And Kakashi’s disguise in Boruto was kinda hot. Imagine the two versions of Kakashi sitting at a table…I’m worried over my sanity now lolol)

P.S.S. Things will REALLY heat up now that Sasuke is in the castle and Hidan is next. Who will claim Sakura’s #1 spot? Will Sakura even allow such a thing? And will Hidan be easy to get out of the dream world?! That sexy rebel. 

Find out in….2022 — ACK! *Gets bonked on head by Itachi* Ok, ok! You’re like the teacher’s pet Itachi! Always trying to get on Sakura’s good side by keeping order *Bonk!* OKAY! I’ll stop. Sob! 

*Sniffle* This is a long author note. Yes, find out in a couple of weeks. See you then! *Cries on way to hug Sakura and steal her from men in revenge*

P.S>S>S>S>S>S>S>S: Honestly I love all of the characters, so I’ll try to get everyone’s scenes right. No promises because writing is a long journey of improvement. Here, take some soju and crackers. *Passes it over while we sit at a bar* Cheers! 

And as always, THANK YOU for reading and please leave a review! Any questions? Favs? Ahh, I feel like writing a OroxTsunade for some reason — STOP! FOCUS! God, college is waiting. Cries.

And may your day be grand and life be a fun mystery (hopefully not a murder mystery cause I ain’t Ranpo (bungou stray dog fans, anyone?)).

“Look underneath the underneath.” — Kakashi (After reading Promised Neverland, that quote hits hard. My heart hurts)

“And my only talent is over-complicating things.” — WitchySkies circa 2020


	8. Chapter Eight: “The Love of Evil Vs A Single Woman”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting on this site earlier as fanfiction.net has issues for any who goes there. Can't even upload docs there rn so crossing fingers.

**Chapter Eight: “The Love of Evil Vs A Single Woman”**

“Sometimes a Lady Just Needs To Be Wild.  
But Always, She Will Be a Queen.”  
 **—Whether She Faces Madness or Evil, She Reigns Over All With Firm Hands—**

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“Ah, here we go again.” Sakura didn’t bother to look up as she found herself in the castle lounge. “Good morning, boys.”

“Hn. Morning, darling.” Itachi stepped up to kiss her hand before he faced Sasuke. “Hello, little brother. I see the truth must have been revealed since you’re not trying to kill me this time.” He stated like it was a casual remark.

“Hello, Itachi.” Sasuke replied back stiffly and glanced at Sakura before clenching his fists. He bowed down to his elder brother as his bangs covered his face. “I’m sorry for everything!!” There was too much to apologize for, but he could only start with this.

Itachi slowly smiled then flicked the younger Uchiha’s forehead before he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a fierce hug. “Foolish little brother. Don’t take all the burden.” He had never hated him. After all, he was the one who withheld the truth. Sasuke’s reaction was within his expectations. The only surprise was the day Sakura popped into his life and now she reunited him with his brother. Each day, he learned something new with the angel. “Sasuke, I also apologize. I should have trusted you with the responsibility to handle the truth.”

For the first time in a long time, Sasuke let himself be hugged and tears fell from his eyes. To anyone else, he wouldn’t bat an eyelash. It was only one person who made him cry this way — his loyal and self-sacrificing brother who never said a word against him. After a few moments, he forced his tears to stop before he stepped back and clasped his brother’s shoulders. As happy as he was to see his elder brother again, there was another important thing to address first. He couldn’t move forward until he was honest with Itachi. 

“I have something to tell you.” Sasuke gulped nervously. He glanced at Sakura’s clueless face. He couldn’t blame her — they’d only just arrived. But he wanted a clean slate with Itachi and that meant telling the whole truth. “I am pursuing Lady Sakura!” 

The once cold-hearted Uchiha bit his lip as his cheeks burned. It was despicable to yearn for his woman after all his elder brother had been through, but even if he owed his brother his life, he couldn’t pretend about his heart. His genius brother would figure it out sooner or later and lying to himself and holding his feelings in was what caused a rift between the two brothers in the first place. If he were honest with his doubts and questioned Itachi’s role in the massacre since the start, he would have found out Itachi’s situation with the Elders earlier. From now on, he wanted to hide nothing. He didn’t want any more secrets between them! 

Sasuke once more clenched his fists as he expected ridicule or accusations, but the next words shocked him.

Itachi merely kept smiling without a single bit of surprise. “I know.”

“What. You know?” Sakura squeaked out with a flushed face. Sure, she was going to tell him anyway, but was he psychic or something?! “But we just got here! In fact, you didn’t even look shocked to see your beloved brother just now!” She walked up to the tall dark-clad Uchiha and narrowed her eyes. “Did you know Sasuke was going to be in the next dream this whole time? You better not be messing with me.” She puffed her cheeks out.

Itachi chuckled before pinching Sakura’s cheeks lightly. “Silly woman. I wouldn’t dare trick you with this. It seems that before you arrive, we get a quick vision of whose coming to the castle. Just a brief vision and I saw the way he looked at you. I’m not surprised you’ve managed to steal his heart as you did mine, my lady.”

“Y-You! You’re making me sound very scandalous!” Sakura blushed. She swore there was a novel titled ‘Caught Between Two Brothers: Endless Pleasure’ hidden in the libray’s secret nooks back home. She never imagined she’d be playing the part! Gah! She stamped her foot while she tried to hide her face behind her long hair. 

Kisame laughed out loud, “Aw, come on, kitten! You’re embarrassed by this? With the way you licked my —“

“Oh my god! Shut up, Kisame!” Sakura squeaked out before running over to cover his mouth with both of her hands. She had to tip toe really high just to do that much. So much for looking threatening. “Or — Or I will never talk to you again!”

“Mmph!” Kisame’s eyes crinkled happily as he grabbed her waist then licked her palms. With another high squeak, Sakura took back her hands and Kisame purred, “We can’t have that, now can we, dear?”

“Ahem!” Deidara frowned from the side as he tossed his blonde hair to the side. “Play fair! We haven’t had breakfast with the angel yet. No cheating and getting ahead until after, remember?”

Sasori cracked his knuckles as he glared at the tall blue menace. “Some of us aren’t getting enough time with Sakura. You’re new so you haven’t had to be as patient as us.” He frowned — his rivals were getting taller and bulkier. He’d have to plan his attacks — erm, strategies better to gain the lady’s favor.

Gaara rolled his eyes as he pulled off the bow tie that the castle made him wear every morning. Why were they always in black suits? “We’ve only been here for a few days. What patience did you have?” 

“Shut it, sand puppet. No, that’s an insult to puppets. You snake.” Sasori glared at Gaara while Sakura eyed them. It seemed while she was gone, the two had some problems? She sent a worried glance over, but then Kakashi winked at her.

“Don’t worry, Princess. They’re just having a friendly competition. It seems Sasori is peeved that Gaara pulled one over him and got time with you yesterday. Don’t worry, it’s all games.”

“Oh, thank heavens.” This whole dream world did feel like a game at times. As long as she ignored her growing attachments, that is. No. Let’s change the topic! Then her stomach rumbled and she laughed. “It seems now that I’ve had a taste of breakfast, my body can’t wait! Haha!”

She only meant it as a joke, but then suddenly all of the men immediately settled down and walked her over to the dining room as if she were royalty. And just like that, she was being pampared while being served tea. “Um, guys? I’m really not so delicate that I can’t handle a little hunger.”

Long fingers tucked her hair behind her ear as Kakashi scanned her face. “Nonsense. It’s better to have a full stomach. Now eat up or I’ll force you to eat vegetables.” He said sternly. “What kind of men are we if we can’t care about your health?”

“Oh.” At those small, caring words, a warm feeling flooded her chest. Unlike with the maids and nobles at her home castle, they weren’t caring for her out of duty or agenda. They were truly sincere. It almost felt too good to be real. She shook her head and smiled at each of the men and said, “Thank you, everyone. Let’s eat!”

And so began another peaceful morning in this enchanted dream realm.

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After eating breakfast, the group chatted about the different rooms in the castle to the peculiar magic that held up this world. Sakura was amazed to find that this place not only had libraries and gardens now, but also a throne room. Of course it should have a throne room since it was a castle, but that warranted the question of who ruled here. 

So she asked, “Did you find any clues about this place’s origins? Surely the library holds a history of royal lineage here.”

Sasori shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. It is mostly fairy tales and legends surprisingly. Common tales like red riding hood to peculiar ones like dragons who used to be princes. And the curious thing is that all of these tales revolve around Godmother Ella. Maybe this castle was her home.”

“Maybe…” Sakura placed a finger on her lip as she mused. “But I’ve been to her home. It’s a cute mansion, but nothing as grand as this place. Her home was more intimate and cozy. Unless she has two homes?”

“Who knows? I’m sure we’ll find out at the end of these dreams.” Sasori then leaned forward while the others stopped eating. “Speaking of which, there are only 5 more to go. How about we —“

“Hey now! No cutting!” Deidara interefered before shoving Sasori’s face away from Sakura. “We aren’t allies anymore, so I won’t let you get ahead of me!” Soon the two artists started bickering like it was their sacred duty to be at ends with each other.

“Stupid immortal freak who thinks dead art is the best! Your nostalgia is what degrades your art. Everything is a bang!” The blonde artist yelled as he stuffed a pancake in the mouths of his palms. Sakura swore the two mouths looked happy as they chewed. One even wiggled a tongue at her! She couldn’t determine if she should find it creepy or cute.

Sasori slammed a hand on the table before he snuck a bite of a muffin in before retorting, “This is why you’re an airhead! Always living in the present and ignoring the eternal themes of life! Your art is simply a fiasco, a fleeting distraction compared to my homage to the universe’s secrets!”

Soon the two had a heated argument over who art told the universe’s secrets better and Sakura could only shake her head. This fight would never end.

Sakura stifled a laugh and found a warm palm on her shoulder. She looked up into playful eyes. 

Kisame leaned in closer while the artists bickered and whispered in her ear like a seductive devil of a merman, “I’d like to show you something amazing, if you come with me? It’s a surprise.” 

Sakura shivered as his hot breath blew against her ear and she could feel the heat off the blue warrior. She glanced around to find that Sasuke and Itachi were busy catching up, Gaara was glaring but holding back and Kakashi simply chilled before he gave her a small wink. Once more, her face turned red before she swiftly got up and snuck out of the dining room before the artists could give chase. How could she resist Kisame’s amazing surprise?

As they ran down the halls with stifled laughs, Sakura realized she hadn’t had much alone time with the loyal warrior and she smiled. “So what is this secret surprise?”

“Impatient, are we? We’re almost there.” Kisame chuckled deeply before they turned a corner and he threw open the door to…

Sakura’s eyes widened as she took in the beautiful sight. In front of her was a wide pool surrounded by ornate tiles of blue and gold. The walls were made of pearl and jewels as a fog lightly covered the glittering stones in a haze that made it seem mysterious and exotic. 

In the middle of this giant bath was single pink bud that floated on top the surface of the warm waters. Kisame whispered as he closed the door behind them. “Watch this.”

With a few waves of his fingers, streams of water floated in the air in a cyclone pattern that surrounded the bud and then he sang. Sakura had never heard such a melody before, it was deep and haunting like the ocean she only saw glimpses of. Kisame’s voice echoed in the blues and golds of the bath and Sakura could feel herself fall into a trance at the haunting melody. 

Little by little, the small pink bud unfurled it’s petals and slowly started to shimmer with blue light as ribbons of water swirled around it in a beautiful dance. On and on, the mesmerizing show played on until Kisame’s voice started to get softer and softer and the buds completely unfurled. At the last whisper of the song, a single bead of water floated above the center of the tiny pink flower and the water fell back into the bath. 

For a long while, Sakura couldn’t take her eyes away as the flower floated down into the center of the bath and the enchanting lights hidden in the fog reflected off her like she was the jewel in the bath. Sakura could only whisper, “Beautiful.”

Kisame looked down at the pink-haired princess and stroke her cheek glowing with the reflection of blue and gold lights. Her pale skin seemed to absorb the colors until it was like she were one of the glimmering fish of the sea herself. “Yes, very beautiful.”

Sakura’s cheeks burned while she suddenly felt shy being the focus of the honest warrior before her and she asked, “What is that flower called?”

“Poseidon’s Love. It is a flower only found in the deepest parts of the sea. A rare flower that I never imagined would be lying in the castle gardens. I found only one in a small pond, but I had to bring it here and show you. I saw this bath and it gave me an idea. This bath is just like the royal ones under the sea. These are strange coincidences, hmm?”

“Very.” Sakura was getting used to strange coincidences by now. How much of these events were planned by the fairy godmother or was there something more at stake? If she truly planned this much detail, then she was a fearsome mage indeed. Then again, it could be the magic of the spell affecting all of them. Magic was detailed in the strangest of ways when it came to making dreams come true if the fairy tales she read were any lesson.

Kisame walked toward the bath and stripped off his clothes in quick motions and he stepped in, gently carried the flower within his large palms. When he stood in the center of the pool, the water merely came to his waist. “Come, this is for you. You have to be in the water.”

Sakura arched a brow and pulled her lip back. “Cunning.” 

Kisame shrugged. “I like to say to the point.” He grinned at her. “Unless you’re getting shy now? Surprising. Coming from the lady who took control back at the village.”

This time Sakura rolled her eyes. “Obvious ploy, but I’ll take your bait, Kisame. You better be careful what you wish for.” Without hesitation, she slowly stripped off the slim dress that once again barely covered her at all. Slipping her legs out of the dress as she lowered her arms, she teased the powerful warrior as she paused here and there.

Kisame groaned. “You’re killing me, woman.”

“I told you.” With a laugh, she dropped her clothes and slowly got into the warm pool as shivers went up her spine. “Ahh…It’s been so long since I had a good bath.” The warmth trickled up her skin as she immersed herself in the relaxing waters. Until now, she’d mostly been woken up perfectly clean due to the magic of the castle, but nothing beat a good old bath ritual. “Nnn….” Sakura moaned lightly as she let the water take her in. The water reached her shoulders, but it was crystal clear and the large swordsman didn’t hide his leer.

“I stand corrected. Now you’re definitely killing me.” Kisame swam closer until his chest loomed over her and he licked his lips. “But first…Here.” Taking the small bead of water in the air, it didn’t even break. Perfectly round and unbroken, it hovered in front of Sakura’s lips. “Drink it and you will be able to gain an element of the sea, my motherland. It is a sacred ritual that I can only give to those who I deem loyal and true so they may gain access to my homeland — be it comrade…or life partner.”

Sakura gulped as she saw his serious gaze and soon guilt trickled in. She still had lingering doubts over the spell’s influence over them. “Kisame. I have to confess. I appreciate your offer and your trust, but what if it’s the spell’s magic talking? I can’t accept such a grand —“

Before she could finish her words, he already slipped the bead past her lips and instantly a refeshing feeling came over her as she blinked up in surprise. Nothing much changed, but she felt a certaind draw to the water that surrounded them. Subtle and quiet, the element lingered in her body as the water before the sky. “Kisame!” she gasped. “You should have let me finish.”

“Nonsense. I know you’ll overthink this and I know my heart, Sakura.” Kisame held her gaze. “But if you worry, do not fear. I would never hold this against you. It is too late now. This bead of water will give you a certain added advantage in the sea — you can breathe underwater for long periods of time — say two hours — and the currents won’t be so merciless to an extent. At the very least, you will be granted passage to my homeland if needed. Even if the dream ends and takes our feelings away, which I doubt, then it wouldn’t change the fact that for this moment you have changed my world. You have shown me what is possible and I will never forget that. Just please…do not speak of doubts and let us meet our fate the way we can — Freely and as best we can now.” He leaned down until his forehead touched hers and he begged, “Please. Do not give up before we even find out. I have become one with you in body, I seek to become one in heart and soul if you’ll have me.”

Sakura didn’t know what to say. She’d seen his playful side, his violent and bloodlust side, his happy and lustful side — but never has she seen him as vulnerable as now, swearing an oath of great weight. The oath of a man as loyal and honest as him was the greatest gift he had and a treasure she wasn’t sure she was worth. But still, her heart swayed. So she promised, “Until we find out at the dream’s end…I promise to face you with what is in my heart now. And if it truly fades with the spell, at least in this moment, you have changed me as well, Kisame. I promise you this much. May you accept it?”

“I accept.” Then Kisame couldn’t stop laughing as he held her tight against his chest. She could feel his chest vibrate against her whole flesh and she heated up in a way different from the warmth she felt from the bath. “I’m so happy, Sakura! I almost thought you would still reject me to be honest. I’m not that smart so it took me a long time to put together how to confess.”

Sakura looked up into those clear eyes that faced her head on and she couldn’t help but join in his laughter. “Well, you got me.” A wicked urge passed by her mind as she traced a finger along his shoulder. She purred, “Say…”

Kisame jolted at the sudden change in tone before his eyes darkened with lust. “Yes, kitten?” 

“I want to test this power.” Sakura licked her lips as she felt the water’s energy flow through her body and she pushed the merman back into the water and followed suit.

_Splash!_

Once underneath the water, Sakura tested her lungs and the most peculiar sensation came over her. It took her a minute to get used to it, but sure enough, she was converting water into air inside her mouth! With wide eyes, she tried to tell Kisame, but instead of words, a series of waves pulsed out of her, but she understood them! This…Wasn’t this magic too powerful?!

Kisame noticed her surprise and smiled. He spoke through sound waves back toward her and she understood his words by instinct —

 _“This is the tongue of the sea. You’re one of us now, kitten. Or should I say catfish? Huh. Kitten sounds better.”_ Kisame chuckled to himself and it sounded like a soft beating of drums in the water.

Sakura traced her hands down her throat and didn’t feel any gills. This was purely because of magic — not even the best mage in her kingdom could do this! What kind of ritual did Kisame perform to give her such power. The greater the power, the greater the risks! _“Kisame, what did you have to sacrifice to give me this power? It couldn’t be a normal lover’s oath or comrade’s creed.”_ She had heard of oaths that could lend powers, like the gods of light bestowing strength unto heroes, but nothing like this for such a simple woman such as her.

 _“It’s nothing big. As long as you don’t betray the sea kingdom or try to kill me, then we won’t die. I know you’re a goody girl, princess, so don’t fear for me. You’re a part of my family now.”_ Kisame confessed nonchalantly.

Sakura shook his shoulders as she scolded, _“That is not a small thing! What if I make a mistake or you get killed because of me? If humans knew that this magic existed —“_

 _“I trust you.”_ Kisame stopped her. _“So you should trust yourself, too. Or do you not trust my judgement?”_

 _“…!”_ She froze as she floated above him, her long pink tresses curling and dancing in the water. A warm feeling entered her heart at those words and she could only mutter, _“I trust you.”_

It wasn’t fair. He couldn’t say that to her. For a lady who was only raised to be decoration and silent, no one has said they trusted her until she entered this fantastical world of dreams. Slowly and surely, one by one, these men were entering the cracks in her heart and she didn’t know how to handle it. She didn’t know what she would do if this all turned out to be simply a sweet dream. Then she remembered why she came here in the first place — to be granted a wish to make a dream come true. 

When the dreams end, she could wish for anything. A fairy godmother’s role was to help dreams come true. A dream come true…If she could wish for anything, then…

With lowered eyes, she hugged Kisame’s neck and whispered in his ear after she floated down to his side. Like a true mermaid, she felt a part of the sea in her heart and of his heart, so she could feel his words were true. _“Kisame…Make love to me.”_

 _“Sakura?”_ He noticed the serious look in her eyes and stopped playing around. _“If you need time —“_

She held his face between her palms and said, _“Kisame. I want to just be here in the moment. With you. So please, let’s just enjoy each other’s company?”_

Kisame returned her look with a solemn face and nodded, _“Always, my love.”_

And so, they embraced each other with heavy hearts and yearning touches. Sakura could only pray that her wish would be granted in the end. For now, she simply wanted to stay in this moment where her dreams are true now.

With that, Kisame ran his large warm palms down her thighs and flipped them over so her back hit the tiled floor. She saw the light filtered through the water and reflected off his smooth blue skin like warm marble. His sharp edges and wide shoulders cradled her effortlessly and she felt like she was the world within his palms. 

Without another word, he placed his lips on hers as he rand his long rough fingers down her spine before entering her folds. Spreading her legs wide, warm water gushed inside her as he thrust his fingers in smoothly. 

_“Nn!”_ Sakura threw her head back, but Kisame pushed his tongue in and kissed her deeper. His other hand ran up and down her body as he let her ‘breathe’ and admired the pink goddess below him. 

_“My Sakura of the sea.”_ He mumbled as he kissed down her neck and clasped her ass with both hands and spread her legs wider. 

Sakura felt his tip enter her and then the rest of his rod fully filled her. She gasped as Kisame lightly bit her shoulder as he cradled her soft body between his arms.

 _“Sakura!”_ The hardened swordsman waited before he moved and thrust inside her over and over until she was a weepy mess below him. 

Ever since Sakura was given the tea by Godmother Ella, she had enormous energy and stamina, but since she also drank the bead of water from the Poseidon’s Love flower, the moment the swordsman held her underneath the water, her skin grew extremely sensitive and her body molded to his instinctively like it craved his touch and it made her feel weak. The two conflicting forces collided until she found a breathless euphoria being held by Kisame underwater. 

And of course, she had a silly thought: If mermaids all felt like this during sex underwater, no wonder they didn’t want to come to land.

On and on, he drove into her and when two hours passed as she climaxed over and over, he lifted her head above water and she could feel real air rushing in. Gasp! Instantly, she felt her magic lose the water bead’s effect and her full power returned her to high stamina. She made a note in her mind: If completely underwater, she can breathe and be quick as a fish, but her normal magic will lose a certain strength until she comes up to the surface. Made sense to her. She wasn’t a goddess so having a limitation was actually a relief. 

With a satisfied sigh, she looked at Kisame’s heated face and pecked him on the lips. “Shall we go —“ Suddenly, Kisame held her waist and with a look of lust, he entered again. “Ahhh!”

But it didn’t stop. She straddled him as she rode on top of the massive swordsman and she screamed his name, “Kisame!” 

Kisame simply nuzzled his face between her ample breasts and sucked and licked while she lost herself to her senses. 

It was only when the water started to cool and she had completely lost all feeling in her legs for the moment, that Kisame finally came for the last time. If they werent’ sure this was a dream world, she’d think he was trying to get her pregnant with how much longer he came into her. And for a flash second, she almost imagined what their child might look like.

She shook her head. The bath was getting to her head. 

“Sorry…” Kisame bit his lip before peeking at her tired face. “I was too much this time. You can’t go to the next dream yet.”

“No, remember? I’m a healer. Just give me a moment.” Sakura focused her power and a golden light glowed off her body as she felt her tiredness slip away. “See?”

“Tch.” Kisame grimaced childishly, revealing off his daggered teeth in an adorable way. “It wasn’t enough.”

“Ki-sa-me?” Sakura arched her brow at the naughty fishman. “Don’t tell me you were colluding with the others to get me to stay.”

“N-No…” Then he switched topics, “Say, I wish we could leave this castle to explore a bit. But then it wouldn’t be allowed, huh.” Kisame bowed his head like a petulant child. Now that they were bonded in a way, he really dropped his guard. “I don’t know what will happen after this dream ends, but I wanted to show you something.”

“What is it?” Sakura leaned against his wide shoulder and gazed up at him.

Kisame blushed once more like he never saw her naked before and suddenly declared like a boy confessing his fantasies, “One day, I will take you to the sea! Then we can explore the treasures underneath together. You’ll love it. I can find powerful mages who can help you breathe underwater longer so no worries on that end. I want to show you everything, Sakura.”

She giggled, “I’m looking forward to it.” 

After the two rested in each other’s arms for a long while, they finally stood to get dressed and the two prepared to enter the next dream. 

Kisame whined, “Can’t we just keep making love here? There’s no deadline!”

“I don’t want to get too comfortable or we’d never leave the castle, silly.” Sakura poked his cheek as she rolled her eyes.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea?”

“Then how will you show me the sea?”

“Fuck. Damn, woman. Always winning an argument.” Kisame grumbled and Sakura lightly punched his arm with a soft fist. Kisame simply caught it and kissed her fingers in response.

“So you better listen.” She smiled as she opened the door with her other hand and they walked out with hands held together. “Come, let’s make a run for the next dream before the artists brigade carry me away. Then I’d really be stuck in the castle for a week.”

“Still not a bad idea.”

“Ocean, Kisame.”

“Damn! Fine!”

Deep down inside, Sakura also had another reason to not postpone for long. If the past dreams were examples, then each dream is a cry for help. Even if time stood still, she didn’t want to keep putting off her mission for long and the dreams seemed to become more difficult to handle whether it be cause of the growing battles or with the soul’s heart itself. She only hoped she was enough. 

Why did she have a vague feeling that she wasn’t sent her to merely be tested to grant her wish? She was more powerful than the highest mage in her home country now. What was Godmother Ella planning? There was only one way to find out. She had to finish the twelve dreams or always wonder. Failure wasn’t an option.  
………………….

……………….

…………………

Shortly after, the two made it safely to the next dream — after being chased by two enraged artists. Their yells echoed across the castle and Kisame had to princess carry her away as he ran faster. 

And the instant they entered the door, it shut and the vision of the dream soul’s backstory played out…

Sakura could see a tall priest dressed in white stand over a young boy with silver hair and the older man raised a whip. The man spoke, “Hidan, my son. This is for your own good. You are born evil so you must be cleansed of your sin.” And so the man whipped his son.

The scene skipped over and soon, she found the boy had become a young man as he was placed in the town square. Hung on a cross, he was hit by tomatoes and whipped in front of their view. He was whipped until he had many bleeding scars, but his dark magic healed them quick as they came. His voice dragged out, “I…am…not evil. I killed…the dragon.” He spat out blood.

The king from the side spoke, “You have slayed the dragon using dark forces. As such, against the law of the holy land of the sun god, we must eradicate all evil. Killing the dragon is like killing your evil kind — of course it is easier for you to do this job. Blame your father for loving a witch, soulless heathen.” And at his order, the king urged the tormentor to drop his whip and take out a flaming sword. “Since you cannot die by human blade, then our holy sword will suffice. Do it.”

Hidan roared in rage as the sword of fire swung down — only to be dropped to the floor. The executioner dropped dead along with it. An eerie voice echoed across the now silent yard, “If you humans do not accept this boy, then we will…” And so, a strange dark force erupted across the courtyard and the people fell to the ground as one. Hidan himself was cut loose and the force disappeared as quick as it came.

He yelled toward the skies, “Who are you?!”

A voice echoed in the air over the fallen people. “Jashin. Practice your power against the monsters and gain strength. When you are deemed ready, we will collect you and give you a test. Betray me and seek the consequences. Now go.”

The vision fast forwarded to three years later and Hidan is now the man he is now. After demolishing a large dragon, the voice returned. “It is time for your test.”

Instantly, Hidan kneeled to the ground and said with lowered eyes, “Yes, Jashin.”

“First, let yourself be killed so you may know death is temporary. Then kill an innocent so you may prove your allegiance. The path to us is painful, but true. Do you accept?”

“I accept. I will not fail you.”

“We shall see.”

At that moment, Sakura thought the vision would end, but it merely stayed in that one scene and after a long while, Hidan’s shoulders shook. And like her past dreams, she could feel his emotion: Doubt, rage and hesitation. But on the outside, the man looked happy.

Hidan laughed louder and louder as he cursed at the skies, “See that father!? Your worship of that false god led the evil god to me! How ironic. But that makes sense in this hypocritical country!” He cursed out the king, the people and his father. And then finally he whispered, “Mother was stupid for loving you. And you killed her.”

Sakura could feel his negative feelings morph into something darker and soon it fade to the feeling of emptiness as Hidan stated hollowly towards the silent skies, “Nothing in life is permanent. Everyone is fake. God is fake. Only Jashin is here.”

“Only Jashin answers me.”

And Sakura could feel his resignation.

And so the vision ended.

[ _Soul: Hidan the Fanatic. A prime candidate to join the evil gods. He is not the Fantatic yet and your mission is to change his fate. Failure to do so will end in despair for all. This will be the last night Hidan will remain human so time is of the essence. The forces of dark will be your enemy._

_Required: Retrieve the Book of Jashin from Hidan and destroy it with your light magic. High Priority._

_Time Limit: One Night. Once he chooses his path, disaster will reign._

_Hint: The God of War Ares still loved the Goddess of Love Aphrodite. Good luck!_ ]

Then Sakura found herself in a dark alley as she muttered to herself, “The forces of dark? If that’s the case, shouldn’t it say emergency alert or something like last time?” She couldn’t shake off the vision of Hidan’s empty eyes and his painful past. This couldn’t be an easy dream and it even involved an evil god, so why was this not an emergency status?

She was wearing unusually practical clothes — hell, she had on trousers. For the first time in her life, the lady was dressed as an adventuress in a tale from trousers to long boots and a cape. 

Kisame stood at her side in the same type of garb and gave her a look. “Probably because it knows you’re a powerful light mage now so the forces of dark should actually be afraid of you, kitten. Nice look. Practical.”

Sakura clapped her hands. “Oh! Right. I just — I forgot okay!” She pouted. Then she tapped the tip of her boot against the dirt and smiled excitedly before focusing on the mission. She could get used to this. 

Shaking her head, she scanned the area — they were in…

“You’re kidding. The soul is in a bar getting drunk now? And I’m supposed to fight forces of dark here?” Before her was an old tavern with a rowdy crowd inside. She only knew this because the doors were wide open and already someone got thrown out. “I have a feeling things won’t go down peacefully tonight. Ready for a fight, Kisame?”

“Always, kitten. Sounds like my kind of knight.” The shark man grinned as he felt the heavy weight of his sword on the back. “I’m glad this spell summoned my sword in with me. Nothing can replace my baby.”

Sakura blinked in surprise. “I never knew it could do that. Then why don’t I get to have any weapons?” She searched her pockets and nothing came of it. “I love the outfit, but why does a lady like me get sent into a bar of drunks with no daggers? The magic is playing favoritism!”

“Really Sakura? Don’t try to fool me. Your magic is already a cheat against these poor saps.” He chuckled deeply and stepped in the bar. “Shall we?”

Sakura followed him in and Kisame casually placed his arm behind her back as a sign to any onlookers who she was with. She winked up at the protective swordsman and quickly scanned the crowd for Hidan.

The pair stuck out against the unruly crowd — a tall fishman with a massive sword and a lady adventuress with pink hair would draw eyes anywhere. The two paced around the medium-sized tavern, but found no one. 

“How hard is it to find one guy?” Sakura grumbled. Could it be that he didn’t show up yet? Or was he not in the tavern at all? The dream usually puts her within walking distance and made it obvious where the soul would go, but there was not a single silver-haired mad men in the place. The only hint besides a war god loves a love goddess was that she’d be fighting the forces of darkness. Since the time limit was one night, then she shouldn’t be too late to find a wayward soul. 

Wait. If her enemy was the forces of darkness and they didn’t want her to interfere…could she be under a spell right now?

Sakura wasn’t used to magic just yet and while she picked up a few things, it wasn’t enough. If she truly were under a spell that made her blind to Hidan’s location, how did she counteract? It was just a theory, but the more she thought about it, it made sense. The town was very small. It was more like a village than a town and unless the mission had an emergency alert, then it meant that the difficulty shouldn’t be too extreme to have her hunt for a crazy dude in the middle of the night in the forest. Fairy Godmother Ella wouldn’t do that to her. So, if her hunch was correct, then how could she counteract? She could try use her magic, but so far she only knew about replenishing energy, healing, fighting and if she was lucky, flying — and that was a big if since she had no idea how she did it half the time. But tracking and dispelling enemy illusion magic or whatever it was? Where did she begin?

“And this is why it’s good not to always rely on magic.” Sakura considered the issue and her advantages. Then she analyzed Hidan’s behavior from the vision. He seemed to love a challenge and he loved a fight. She recalled a mage once said in court that even if a person couldn’t see past magic, that didn’t mean she wasn’t invisible to everyone else. If she couldn’t find him, then she’d make him come to her! Since she was a lady adventuress now, why not play the part to the fullest!

So Sakura whispered her plan to Kisame and he nodded then left her side to chat with the bartender, making a show that his lady companion was now on her own. 

Meanwhile, Sakura went to the first table with a bunch of tough guys and asked with a confident smirk, “Hey fellas! Can you do me a favor? Do you know a guy named Hidan?”

“Well, well, well.” The first of three fellows was a short guy who seemed to be decked in tattooes. Next to him were a rather bulky warrior and a lanky robed man with yellow teeth. If she judged it right, they’d be the Brains, Brawns and Mage. Typical set up. Sure enough, the short man leered up at her and waggled his tongue, “A woman in pants, men! Quite bold of a whore to wear. Now we can see where that pretty little crotch lays.”

“I am an adventuress not a whore.” Sakura didn’t let it faze her as she repeated her question, “Do you know Hidan? If not, stop wasting my time, pig.”

“And if I do?”

“Tell him I’m here to kick his ass.” Sakura said the most provocative thing she could and hoped he heard her. Come on, come get me so I can see your face! “I heard he was weak and couldn’t hold his own in a fight. I want to see if it’s true.” 

“Hahahah!” The trio laughed as they eyed her thin, curvy frame and soft hands. Of course, they lingered over her boobs and hips. “And you’re going to fight him? Why don’t you have a turn with us upstairs. We’ll show you a real fight.”

“I cut thugs like you down for dinner. Back where I’m from, I’d have your heads for bounty within the hour. I’m not here for you, I’m here to see Hidan.” She lied through her teeth as she tried to think of a backstory. How did adventuresses make money? Sure they hunted for treasure, but maybe they also hunted down bounties? There couldn’t be so many treasures to pay the bills with, are there? On the surface, Sakura kept her poker face cool and collected.

The short one smiled wider and waved his hand toward his underlings. The pair stood up and the mage was about to chant while the brute tried to grab her —

But suddenly the three brutes were submerged in golden light and one by one flew out the doors of the bar, deep into the night. Where they ended up, she didn’t care. But she made sure they landed somewhere far and high before she released her power. The further they were, the less her magic held and her magic had a wide area of influence so they must be miles down the road by now.

Turning away from the now empty table, she faced the astonished crowd and she stomped a foot on top the table before she yelled, “HIDAN! COME OUT AND FACE ME! OR ARE YOU AFRAID?”

And just like that, a black fog appeared out of nowhere before it revealed a human in the center. Nobody reacted to the fog so she knew it was just her vision clearing up from whatever messed with her sight. The silver-haired man’s shadow loomed over her and she saw a wide muscular chest covered in a vest made of fishnet fabric. Her eyes trailed up the large muscles….collarbones…and finally landed on a rugged, handsome face. 

With a cocky lop-sided grin, the thuggish man returned the gesture and looked her up and down before he said with a sexy, husky tone, “Hello, spitfire. I saw you deal with the guys up front and I just had to tell you how I so appreciate a violent woman. Now what do you want with me again?”

“I’m not violent! It was self-defense!”

The man held up his hands in acquiescence. “True, true.” Then he leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “If I pissed you off, would you give me the same treatment? You wanted a fight, didn’t you?” His purple eyes gleamed as he continued, hot breath tickling her, “I am curious about what kind of pain a small woman like you can do to me? Miss…?”

“Name’s Sakura. Now. Unless you want to have your ass tossed by magic, then you’d better back off a bit, you’re too close.” She wasn’t sure how to handle a guy who loved pain as much as he did so she put on a hard face. Hopefully by pretending to be strict, he wouldn’t get any funny ideas…So why did that seem like a bad idea?

She had a strong feeling that he was on the brink of madness and if she didn’t act soon, his soul would twist further than normal. She had heard of people who liked pain before, but not of one who sought it to such a degree as him. For the first time since she entered the spell, she felt worried. If she hadn’t already seen his past in the vision, she wouldn’t trust the guy at all — especially since he was a candidate to join the dark forces. She didn’t know what these forces intend to do, but it couldn’t be anything good. 

“First off, I didn’t really want to fight you. I just wanted your attention and I’m not into violent men.” She stepped back as she tried to ignore his mischievous look and her throat felt a bit dry. That body of his was too sinful. 

Hidan noticed her step back and his grin widened. “Shame.” Then he pointedly glanced at Kisame in the corner of the bar and said, “I see you like your men big. I figure if you ain’t here to fight, then maybe you want to try me out for size?”

“Pervert.”

“Says the woman starting a fight just to get my attention.” Hidan shrugged. “What’s a guy supposed to think?”

“…” Sakura blushed and cursed the dream world for the first time. Yeah! What am I supposed to do, dream spell?! She should’ve trained with Sasori on dispelling dark magic more. 

“Well, if you won’t fight me, then I’ll make you. I want to see how far you can go against me.” And with that, he took out a black book from his side and opened the pages. “Ri Jo Me…” The room seemed to fill with a black fog and instantly everyone ran out. Kisame tried to intervene, but it seemed shadows were holding him against the wall and he couldn’t speak!

Sakura could see the dark power surround him as he began to chant so she did the first thing that came to mind. Using all her strength, she jumped up to cover his mouth with her hands. As she did so, she slapped the Book of Jashin down. They fell to the floor, but before she could grab the book, Hidan already took hold of it as he wrapped his arm around her. “Nice try, but I got this book as a reward so I’m not giving it up. You’re after immortality, too, aren’t you?”

“Not a chance.” Sakura growled as she tried to move her arms, but his thick muscled arms crushed her against him just enough to immobolize her. Every part of this man was firm as steel and she couldn’t break his hold one bit. 

She didn’t want to really hurt him, so she focused on taking the book away from him first as that was high priority. So she focused her magic into a floating orb that surrounded the book in Hidan’s hands and tried to grab the book, but black sparks erupted and broke apart the sphere of light. 

“I may not be officially in yet, but I can do this much. Nice try, though.” Then he frowned. “I don’t really want to kill you. But Jashin requires a sacrifice. I don’t know.” For a brief moment, Sakura saw doubt in his eyes and she knew this was the only chance she had to get through to him.

“You don’t have to do this, Hidan. Jashin is not the only way to, erm, enlightenment.” 

“I’m a child born of evil. Jashin is the only one who can accept a man like me.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way. Jashin is not the only one. I can accept you. Again, you can change your path.”

Hidan frowned as he let his serious nature reveal itself. “No. You don’t understand. Look at me. I’m a mess. I don’t work like other people, I am violent and I crave pain. The only one who could break me from my treacherous self is the revelation of pain under Jashin. My power is too evil to be used with your god, little light mage.”

Her god? Sakura didn’t know what he was talking about. The only person she believed in that lived over the skies was Godmother Ella and maybe an unknown force. But gods? Don’t make her laugh. If god existed the way zealots implied, then there would be no suffering. No children starving, no poor folk in front of her cruel castle’s doors, no dark secrets in the courts. Even more scandalous than Hidan’s fantaticism was her own disbelief in the god of her home country. Call it what you will, but a lady of noble birth who refused the teachings of her church was a poison in the water, according to her parents. No. She had no god like that. And she sure as hell wouldn’t let Hidan give his life away to Jashin or any other god! 

Since he wouldn’t listen to reason, then she’ll make him listen. If only then he’d stop the future him that lived off sacrificing, then it was enough. She had enough of men doing evil in the name of their gods. And the Hidan right now still could be reached. He wasn’t a true fanatic yet.

“If you have time to bow down before some god, you can just bow down to me. I’ll teach you the way. At least I won’t ask you to kill people for me.” And so, she blasted light magic into him and instantly Hidan jolted as the magic electrified him from within and the conflicting elements of dark and light tore through his body. 

“Ahhh!” Hidan shouted as he felt the turbulent magic collide within him and he started to convulse. But he still didn’t let go of her so Sakura added more power. The shocking pain loosened his grip and Sakura jumped out of his arms as she watched him tremble. The more pain he felt, the happier he became. He laughed maniacally. “More! More, baby, more!!” 

Sakura shook her head. “No way.” And she let her magic run it’s course as it faded out of him. 

Hidan noticed the loss immediately and sobbed like an addict without a hit. Then he grabbed her shoulders and leaned in close so they were nose to nose, and with a deep growl said, “Do that again.” 

Sakura blinked slowly and a mischievous thought played in her mind. So she acted on it, “Oh? And what will you give in return? If you want to follow Jashin, then you won’t need me. I don’t care for careless acts of violence.” She looked down on him like he was a crude peasant and mustered up all the ‘royal bitch aura’ Hidan seemed to like. If it wasn’t against her character, she had to admit it was a bit fun to play the part.

Deep down inside, she was still nervous. Aura? What aura? And how do I stop a guy from following a violent cult when he was clearly masochistic! I’m not really knowledgeable on this side of things, but I have to appear domineering, right? RIGHT? Oh gods this was embarrassing! On the outside though, she appeared regal and noble as if nothing dirty touched her foot.

Hidan’s lips pulled back and he appreciated this side of the pinkette. Then he looked at the book he took from his last mission. Jashin? Or this little fiery woman? It took no longer than one second before he handed the book over. “Here. Jashin will try to kill me, but that’s not new. I think it will be funny when word gets out that an evil god candidate is following a light mage. I like that kind of trouble.” He licked his lips while Sakura took the book and immediately burned the book in her hands. Screams wailed from the book until it turned to ashes.

Hidan leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I like your imperial highness act, but you need to insult me more to make it work. Other than that, I also like your softie side, spitfire. It makes it hot to see the gap between your goody-two shoes self and your merciless electrifying power.”

Sakura blushed heavily over the fact that she was caught acting and then she glared at him for playing along. It had only been a short while, but she was already infuriated by him. “You’re lucky you’re handsome.”

“I know.” He smiled at her. “But you’re my royal goddess now, so you can’t leave me.” He winked, but he was dead serious and she knew it.

“As long as you listen to me or I’ll have to chain you to the dungeons.”

“Is that a promise —“

“Nevermind. I’ll leave you on a deserted island.”

“Aw, go back to the other punishment. I want chains.” His purple eyes lit up at the prospect.

Sakura had a bad feeling that Hidan and Sasori might make good friends. Was this a trait for dark mages/warriors?

Suddenly, Kisame came closer as he was released by the shadow magic and he said, “Am I interrupting some punishment play or…?”

“Nope! Nothing! You’re interrupting nothing!” Sakura squeaked out as she stood up with Hidan following suit. “I feel like this went easier than I thought. Where are the forces of darkness?”

Kisame rolled his eyes. “It may seem easy to you, but the rest of the town just pissed themselves. We better go before they summon an army to kill off us heathens, okay? There are way too many crosses. Some are good, but I don’t like this place.”

Hidan nodded, “You have good instinct. This was Jashin’s test — to kill the hypocrites. They are not innocent, but now that I’m with you, I’m sure we’ll have a fight sooner or later against Jashin’s forces. So don’t worry, more will come!” He said this like it was a treat. 

“I see why this world wasn’t put as emergency status. My whole life is about to be an emergency.” 

Kisame placed his hand on top of her head and rubbed like she was a cute kitten. “Aww, don’t worry, I’m here. Besides, you’re a magnet for trouble so it’s fate.”

Hidan stretched out his limbs as he started to walk out the door. He called out to the confused pair, “They’ll bring a mob here soon. Follow me, I have a secret spot I camp at whenever I visit here. They won’t find us.”

And so, the trio ended up going from a bar fight to a secluded campsite in a secret clearing beyond the town’s boundaries with a self-professed madman. Sakura couldn’t help but marvel at her ability to adapt these days.

The trio looked at the simple tent and small bonfire. Hidan said, “After a certain point in the forest, they’ll see nothing but fog so they won’t come out this far. It’s not much, but at least you have a place to rest now.”

Sakura bowed her head slightly. “Thank you. We appreciate it.”

“I’m going to cut to the chase. We only have one night here, so why not test the waters? I know you’re dying to, Sakura. The others told me about their adventures in these dreams.” Kisame gave her a playful smirk and Sakura blushed at her caught shamelessness.

Hidan questioned, “Test the waters? Dreams?”

“See, our princess here has quite a few fans following her. And you’ll find out soon about dreams.”

“Kisame! He barely knows us.” 

“He’d figure it out anyway. Especially when morning comes.” Kisame rolled his eyes. “Why are you shy now? Oh, is it because your fake reputation of a bounty-hunting adventuress is at stake?” He laughed. “You really wanted to play the tough act this time.”

“Stop ruining my fun!” Sakura stomped her boot on the ground.

Hidan grew confused, but got the sense that there was a harem for the princess? Whatever. Better for him as that meant he had a chance to join. In that case…”I would like to test the waters then.”

Hidan paced forward until she was standing right against him and he said huskily, “Life is too short to hold back, miss adventuress. Don’t you agree?” He waved his arms wide open, showcasing his muscled chest below that fishnet and Sakura felt her throat go dry at that sinful image. “I’m all for the taking.”

A fire burned behind Sakura’s green eyes and they shone like star-lit emeralds under the night sky, her fair skin glowing by the warm orange tones of the campfire. Kisame came up from behind and ran his hands up and down her arms, tugging at the white cotton blouse. He kissed her temple and said, “I will service you thoroughly.”

Under the romantic lighting by the campfire, the three stripped off their clothes as they gave into the pleasure of their touches. Sakura then remembered the spell’s voice as it said that the Ares loved Aphrodite and when she looked at the violent, thuggish man in front of her and the way he carefully touched her even though he was still a bit rough — she couldn’t help but smile.

For a reward, she ran her hand up his chest, feeling those firm muscles, and asked, “Hidannn…Would do you want me to do?” To test things, she gave a very tiny bit of her power like back in the bar and saw his skin get goosebumps and his face flush with excitement.

“Do that again. But add more to it. I know you have more power within those tiny fingertips.” He clutched at her hand and held her against his chest as he got a taste of the tempestuous forces. “I’m at your mercy, Sakura.” 

So Sakura put more power into him, careful not to over-do it as she just wasn’t ready to go that far, and watched as Hidan growled against her touch and moan. “Ahn, Sakura. Only you can give me this exquisite pain just the way I like it!” 

Hidan’s eyes darkened as he went in for the kiss, moaning as the force of light collided against the dark elements within his body. It felt like he was both being torn apart and put back together in a macabre dance. Who knew there’d come a day when an evil god candidate would fall for a light mage? The electric shocks and sensations brought him to ecstasy and Hidan could only think that if anyone would tame the beast within, she could only be Sakura. As a man who would rather die than be owned, he was at odds with himself when Jashin ordered his allegiance to the point that he feared he would lose his human self and literally go insane with power. But now…even though he was still offering his allegiance to this strange light mage, he willing accepted this fact. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

He just met the powerful, silly woman of light, but for some reason, he couldnt’ leave her alone. He had a strong instinct that if he let this opportunity pass by now, then he’d never get the chance again and become someone different entirely. He would never find a woman like Sakura again.

And so, the almost-immortal kissed Sakura’s lips with the worship he saved for a god and whispered, “My goddess.”

And so, by immersing in her power and embracing her heart, Hidan finally devoted his self to the strange goddess who fell into his life. 

The night was long as the two experimented with each other and Kisame held her legs while Hidan finally entered her. Once he fit his large dick inside, Sakura belatedly realized that this would be the first time she’s had two very strong and large men at the same time and she had to be grateful for Godmother Ella’s insight in giving her that tea.

Hidan plunged into her as Kisame took her from behind and she felt those long, big dicks pound into her. She cried out as Kisame lifted one of her legs slightly and she felt them go deeper. “Ahhh!”

On and on, they held her as their hot breaths mingled among the cold night and she couldn’t remember how many times she climaxed. Their large hands rubbed along her skin as Hidan licked her neck and Kisame kissed along her back. 

By the time the men thrusted into her one last time, she was limp within their arms. Satisfied, the two warriors collapsed — Kisame to the side and Hidan below — as Sakura rested her head on Hidan’s chest. 

Then Hidan spoke, “Sakura?” He rubbed his thumb along her hip.

“Yes?” She snuggled against him as a cold wind blew. He was her personal warmer now.

“You said you had one night here.”

“Yes, but —“ 

Hidan placed a finger on her lips and said, “I know you just met me, but I have a feeling I won’t be given another chance. Please, before you leave, consider taking me on as part of your group.” And like he was trying to prove his worth, he spoke out everything in his heart toward this pink goddess that came out of nowhere and declared herself an enemy of Jashin, an enemy that completely overwhelmed him heart and soul. It was a strange new world for him. 

Hidan spoke, “If you accept me, I will vow to be your hands and eyes. I will not kill without your permission and that is saying a lot. But you must accept me completely. I won’t let you leave.” He loved the way she made him feel, but more than that, he was entranced by that spirit. Something about the woman called to him like a moth to a flame and he craved more. It was unlike anything he ever felt before — beyond pain and pleasure. Like a dark part of himself that was slowly being transformed, he felt…purpose. And as a highly fanatical man the he was aware he was, once he found a purpose, he never let go. So what if there are other believers in her? It made sense for a goddess. But he’ll be her most fervored one. 

Sakura blinked slowly at him and her lips parted. Why did she feel like she was running a cult now? But she replied seriously, “I will accept you if you remain true to your vow. Any senseless killing, any disobedience on my bottom line and I won’t hesitate to do what I must. Understand?” She felt she had to be strict with this man or who knew when his madness would take hold. “I believe you are better than you think you are.”

Hidan held her gaze and vowed, “If I shall disobey, kill me where I stand. You shall become my faith, this I vow.” A lot could be said of his violence, but no one could deny his fanaticism. He always took a vow seriously when it came to his faith. 

And once more, the light came and took them away.

[ _Dream Eight Complete]_

 _[Reward: True light comes from within and the true signs of a leader doesn’t always come from power, but also from resourcefulness and the knowledge of when to fight and when to hold out a hand to the enemy. True nature will always reveal oneself, but true redemption comes from the will to change. Keep grwoing to become your highest self, Sakura Haruno._ ]

**END DREAM.**

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Meanwhile, in her garden drinking tea, a certain blonde fairy godmother smiled at a dark shadow at the corner of her garden. “My little protege has won our bet.” Then in a rare burst of vulgarity, the godmother spat out, “So go fuck yourself, Jashin.”

Then her own shadow surged outwards until a tall man stepped out from behind the Godmother Ella and pulled out a holy sword as a few small fairies flew by her side. “Leave or let the spirits eat your bones clean when we kill you.”

The opposing shadow trembled in rage before disappearing. Before it faded completely, a hiss sounded in the air, _**“You can try.”**_

When it fled, the godmother and man smiled at each other with relief. Ella laid her hand on the hilt of his sword, “My love, it will be time soon. She will succeed. I know it.”

The man spoke gently, “I believe in your judgement, dearest. She has your spirit.”

“After all, Sakura is the new generation.”

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**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Konban Wa, Lovelies!

My apologies for the long wait. A lot of stuff happened, but it’s good now. Had to pub this before I got caught up with my head. Hope you enjoyed Hidan’s chapter. It’s not as polished this time so forgive my tired hands.

Honestly, have you ever thought of so much to do and about everything that could go wrong? I think I took those thoughts wayyyy too far because next thing I know, I’m imagining myself as a homeless wannabe samurai girl in her 80’s searching for One Piece to sell for food because she didn’t plan for retirement in her 20’s. Yeah. Fear is irrational. Maybe I can do fortune telling for word mage heroes? I don’t wanna be hungry when I’m sixty…

WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT BILLS IN MY SIXTIES?! Inflation is scary, yo. How much will soda be? $10? I guess dieting is good…I wish I were Cho Cho. She can eat whatever and simply butterfly mode it away and turn it into super strength T.T Now girl’s got the REAL secret jutsu we all need. Go away, Hulk. Cho Cho is the queen in town!

Yes, my depressive thoughts are still bugging my sleep. No, I don’t think I need to see Hisoka’s therapist (wait…). Yes, if an isekai needs a hero, I volunteer as tribute. Kakashi, wassup?

Another thought: If heaven exists and it’s where we are happiest (play along with me now), then….You know…”Itachi, since we up here, how about we chat? *Wiggle brows*”. Ok, so I’ve been kicked out. Whatever, just isekai me to Omniscient Reader. Or I can be some guardian goddess to help out a BL World. I don’t mind. *Cough*

Now then. Hope y’all are having a good holiday and staying well. And thank you for your reviews. They truly made my day. It’s always fun to geek out over fandom so much kisses!

Wishing you a shinobi harem christmas,

WitchySkies

P.S. Sometimes I wonder if I’m ever doing enough. But fanfic and reading somehow at least brings me to believe in something. I find more happiness in a chapter than I do a “normal” night out (not that I’m doing that these days). Anyone relate?

P.S.S. Just gonna upload the works I somehow finished before trying to gain some semblance of a routine next week. Please bear with my caffeine addicted ass. 

PS.ss>SS>S. Webtoon or Manga? I’m caught between both worlds. My wallet says manga, but…UGH. SO MANY STORIES I NEED TO DEVOUR. RAWR!!! *Que Sasuke Scream While Launching a Fireball from his Mouth*

PS>S>SS>S>S>S. Forget all of the above. Plan B for Life: Find Naruto and marry him. Change that. Find Kakashi and marry him — we can giggle over Icha Icha together ahahaha. Huh? Sakura? No, I-I won’t quit. Yes, I’m studying. Gah, I’m not a homewrecker! I’m sorry, I won’t kidnap Kakashi! *BAM* …..Please heal me, senpai.

Seriously though, for all you chilling/bitching/eating with life like me, thank you for reading and loving Sakura. Kanpai to Team Seven!

>>>Added note: I can’t believe it’s been such a long chapter. It’s not as edited as I would like, but just trying to get some chaps out before I work on a normal routine again. Hope y’all are safe.


	9. Chapter Nine: “The Purpose of a Lost Man”

**Chapter Nine: “The Purpose of a Lost Man”**

“As You Walk Along This Predetermined Line,  
I Will Dance Among Many Lines.  
And May You See Our Lines Intertwine In This Tapestry Called Life.”  
 **—She Who Never Relents With Fair Judgement, Leads The Way—**  
 **—The Abandoned Son of the Moon—**

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_**At the Castle:** _

Sakura sat in her usual seat on the dominating settee, dressed in a transparent silver dress that fell to her feet. Every movement glittered in the low light and the slide of fabric on skin felt like a dream. Her pink tresses felt weightless and fluffy, framing her face elegantly and she lightly tweaked a half-formed curl while she relaxed. It wouldn’t be long until they arrived. 

She felt their gazes first — a pleasant sort of searing that raised the hair on her arms and the back of her neck. With a lazy smile, she waved at the standing men, “Good morning.” 

A collective of various greetings replied and Sakura acknowledged each person with a smile. She stood up and stretched her arms high for a moment, not minding how the men gazed upon her barely hidden form, then said, “Ready for breakfast? I would love to chat with all of you.” Slowly, but surely, she was getting used to this lifestyle and now she made sure to remember to give time for each person and really get closer to them. Kisame was right yesterday, even if this was the effect of the spell, right now they had these precious moments. It was impossible not to become fond of them and they returned the sentiment. She should embrace their brief time together and enjoy the present when she could.

Yes. She was going to enjoy every second she could while maintaining her urgency to complete the mission. She needed balance. After all, simply being in this enchanted castle was a miracle and a dream come true. At least for now, she could come home to people who loved her. It was a foreign concept at her old home and thanks to this dream, she would hunger for it when it was inevitably time to wake up. 

She looked at each man and realized she had never truly taken control of the situation before. She simply reacted when it came to the mornings since she was shy and uncertain of her influence over the men and this castle. But now things were different. The old Sakura had grown. It was still a peculiar feeling — a mix between novelty and confidence. No one at court would call her a lady worthy of praise, but she didn’t need their praise to survive anymore. Her worth didn’t sorely rely on her title and so-called purity. She could honestly say she could take care of herself and had people who loved her. What more could she ask for in life? And so, she met each man’s gaze with renewed vigor. It was a new morning! She was a new woman! Instead of depending on a lord or prince to support her, she had the power to support them. In fact, why doesn’t she? She’d be the most un-ladylike noble in the entire kingdom! Yes, to take it a step further, why not support her men? Even if their deep feelings disappeared with the spell’s end, she could still support them. Gaara, Kisame, Hidan and Itachi couldn’t entirely go back to their old lives. Sasuke would follow Itachi. Kakashi looked free. Deidara and Sasori probably wouldn’t return to their ‘studios’ after getting acquainted with fae magic. She could do this! Surely light mages of her caliber would receive tons of work!

So, as a result of feeling suddenly empowered and attracted to the evil attraction of destroying every expectation her cold parents’ had of her future, she pulled back her shoulders and puffed up her chest like she was about to give a moving speech to her people and blurted out, “Yes, I will be responsible for you!” Realizing that the message didn’t quite come out as intended, she coughed into her fist. “Ahem! I mean, I will act responsibly today.” Her shoulders dropped. Of course. As soon as she started her epic moving announcement, she screwed up. This was embarrassing. Her ears burned red while her eyes roamed around the room like a mouse searching for an escape.

She realized that while a full-on mental pep talk for her self-esteem made her feel free, it didn’t include instructions on how to think of witty and powerful things to say to a gathering of attractive, powerful men who seemed dead set on listening to her next words with rapture. 

And so, Sakura did the first thing that came to mind and gestured towards Hidan, “Well! Moving on, this is Hidan. He is a powerful dark magic user and knows how to drink so maybe Sasori you have something in common. If you could please get to know each other then we can head to breakfast?” Tip for court blunders: never settle on the mistake and distract!

The mens’ eyes twinkled as they caught her obvious ploy, but they let it go. Kakashi, Itachi and Kisame didn’t bother to hide their smirk, however, and Sakura pegged them down as the Bad Boy Trio. 

Sasori eyed the taller, bulkier dark magic user and frowned before he relented, “I am Sasori, a dark mage. Pleasure to meet you.” 

Hidan’s eye twinkled as he said, “This is the first time I met a dark mage not related to Jashin. I would love to talk about dark magic later.” 

And with that, the rest of the men began to introduce themselves before they headed to breakfast. Along the way, Hidan observed his surroundings with a gimlet eye, looking at the enchanted place powered by light magic and fae with wonder. This was the first time he’d ever seen something on this scale and he gained a new level of devotion for his goddess. 

When everyone sat at the table, Sakura relished the eggs benedict and a strange sweet purple pudding. While she munched on the heavenly breakfast in bliss, she wondered how is it that she never felt hungry in the dream worlds. But then, why was she trying to find sense within a dream? And so, she just kept happily eating in ignorant bliss with her eyes crinkled shut, looking remarkably like a kitten. She was unaware of the stares the men shot to her periodically as they gazed fondly at their adorable woman. How cute!

Hidan ate a bite of the fish and marvelled, “Hey Sakura! Even the fish taste like a miracle! I haven’t had such fine food since, uh, since ever.” The rugged man chowed down as he talked, “Huh. This is way better than a slab of meat and dry bread.”

Sakura agreed with rosy cheeks, “Yes, I agree! You should thank the Fae though. They are the true masterminds behind this miracle.”

“Thank you, fairies of the food.” He made some superfluous sign that she assumed was supposed to signal worship then continued chowing down. “I’m glad they aren’t holding grudges for my, uh, magic type.”

“Don’t fret. It was my fairy godmother that sent me to you, so I imagine they quite welcome you.” Sakura reassured as she took a bite of a fluffy pancake. “Mm~!” 

Deidara and Sasori glared at the taller, bulkier Hidan. While the two managed to snag the seats next to her this time, Hidan kept taking her attention away! Meanwhile the others rolled their eyes at the childish duo with amusement.

Deidara whined, “Sakuuura! I’m here, too! I miss you. Boo hoo.” The blonde artist shed crocodile tears as he moved to feed Sakura another bite of a strawberry shortcake. His bright blue eyes glistened with tears, “It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to talk to you…” He sniffled. 

From the other side of Sakura, Sasori cut a piece of bacon and fed her. “Don’t listen to that idiot. It’s only been a few days yet he acts like a child. I have important matters to discuss with you on training your magic so we should find some private time — “

“Hey! Don’t act all high and mighty, Sasori! You’re just trying to steal the angel away!” Deidara cut in with a roar, simultaneiously moving a glass of water closer to Sakura in case she needed it. 

“Tch. Shut up, idiot. You cry all day long when you’re not holding bombs practice in the training room. Do you know how annoying it is to hear explosions go off everyday?! I was attempting to ponder the eternal arts of the night in peaceful solitude, but nooo, you had to choose the room next to me to do your cursed art!” Sasori argued as he buttered toast for Sakura.

“There is only one training room! What, you want me to blow up the garden?!” Deidara bit back, but in the midst of this, didn’t forget to pass Sakura a new cup of tea.

The two argued like it was their daily ritual as they pampered Sakura and she had to giggle. 

Sasuke raised a brow. “Are they always like this?” The dark mages he knew were the silent type. They would never let anybody insult them even a little without placing ten curses on them. So watching Sasori allow the explosives artist to do so was surprising.

Itachi nodded. “You’ll find many miracles around the angel. This is one of them.” He leaned in and whispered with mischief, “It also helps us. When they get carried away, they forget the true prize. We should keep this in mind later.” The Uchiha brothers came up with an alliance over Sakura as they looked at their friends and rivals. Very soon, they would act. “Watch.”

Sure enough, just as Kisame did yesterday, a certain sand mage-warrior sneered at Sasori before winking at Sakura. She smothered a smile and kept on eating her breakfast, only flinching a little when she felt a tendril of sand snake around her ankle and climb higher. Her chair was pulled backwards silently and slowly, then she felt the warrior’s arms around her. And once again, Gaara had stolen Sakura out from under Sasori’s nose. Stupidly, Sasori was busy trying to pummel Deidara with his fists despite having dark magic and didn’t realize. 

Gaara noticed the others looking at him as they walked away and he jabbed a thumb at Sasori then made a puking expression. Sakura rolled her eyes. It seemed the two had a rivalry as the only redheads in the castle. 

Itachi and Sasuke snickered. Kisame wasn’t jealous as he had his time already and he knew there would be opportunity later so he happily ate his steak. Hidan full on laughed out loud over the funny harem his goddess had. And Kakashi just lazily peeked at the pair before yawning — he also had plans for later so he wasn’t worried. These men focused on the long game. These twelve nights in the spell world wouldn’t be the last of Sakura — they would make sure of that. So they viewed this time as an introduction period.

Sakura laughed as Gaara swept them further from the arguing pair. She could only imagine what the artist duo would do when she came back. “Where to?”

Gaara smiled as he held her hand as they ran down the halls. “To the next dream. I never got to go in with you so I wanted to gain some time.” Since he took some personal time the other day already, he knew the others would begin to act on their plans so this was one of the only opportunities he’d have for the time being. This time, he didn’t want to focus on the sex. He wanted Sakura to get used to his presence and just have an outing. Since they couldn’t leave the castle except in the dream worlds, this was as close as he would get to a ‘date’ in the outside world. “I just want to go on an adventure with you. I want to go out with you. I-If you don’t mind.” He blushed. He’d never imagined he’d find himself going on a date with anyone; romance was never in his cards until she burst into his life. This was their first date, and the first time he cared so much about another person. He wanted to do this right.

“Yes, I’d love to go out with you, Gaara.” Her eyes softened as she pecked him on the cheek. “Of course!”

Gaara’s blush spread down his neck and lit up his ears as he placed a quick kiss on her lips and squeezed her hand. Then they entered the room together.   
……………………….

……………………….

Once in the room, a vision was primed to play out as usual when suddenly, the spell’s voice rang out:

[ _Due to the complicated nature of this Soul, and the pity of the Fae who had a part in this matter, you will gain inside knowledge of the inner workings of the Soul’s history in depth._ ]

After the announcement, the back story of the Soul unfolded. 

A scene of an Eastern castle spread before her and the story began. Two children ran together into the trees and shrubbery, trying to hide from their families. Knowledge was whispered into her mind by an unseen narrator, revealing minutiae as she watched on.

The children were named Neji and Hinata. Raised as siblings, the two pale-eyed beauties were inseparable. While Neji was born to a lower branch of the Hyuuga family, Hinata was heir to the main family, and she never held it against him. Even so, the Hyuuga princess had duties to fulfill and if she made a single mistake in any part of her education, whether it be in art or literature, she was punished heavily. Her meals would be kept from her until she’d corrected her ‘imperfection’ or she’d be made to stand with books on her head for hours until she lost consciousness. As the future bride of the God of the Moon, her family trained her to equal a goddess in grace and beauty, but she knew she would never reach that standard with her imperfections. Neji hurt every time he saw Hinata’s pain and Sakura could relate. 

Sakura’s blinked away tears as she recalled her own princess training and she felt a sinking feeling form in her gut. Even though there was nothing she could do about Hinata’s situation since it was a vision, she truly hoped the two wouldn’t suffer tragedies. Especially the poor princess. Please. Please tell me she isn’t forced to marry someone despicable. With bated breath, Sakura could only watch the rest unfold.

While Hinata was trained, Neji was moved from his family home into the home of the guardian branches of the main family and endured his own strict training. As both servant and guard to the main family branch, he wasn’t afforded any rights or the ability to express an opinion. That was the heirarchy of the clan. He and his family at the very bottom of the totem pole, estranged from each other and enslaved. Only Princess Hinata could dare to be merciful in the clan without receiving punishment. His training was a special kind of hell but he pushed through. He had no other choice than to die if he faltered. Eventually, the warrior learned to reign in his emotions and put on the appearance of the perfect stoic guard, unrelenting and unreactive — except for the times he served Hinata as her personal guard. Only then could he share her smile without consequence.

The years sped forward and all too soon, the princess was a nubile adult. She wore what looked to be a pure white priestess robe with a sheer veil above a large hood and through the opening of the robe, a simple white gown covered her from throat to foot in a manner that highlighted her innocence and charm. Her face was unadorned aside from a single white gem that was placed between her brows. She stood in a wide room with only two exits, one of which was closed.

Neji stood at her side, dressed in a white suit and stiff lipped, but tears fell from his face. “Sister. Don’t do this. We can run away! I’ll make sure you are safe. Do not sacrifice yourself!” He begged.

Hinata’s lips lifted into a small smile as she gazed lovingly into her brother’s face, but her trembling hands betrayed her nervousness. “It is customary for a bride to marry the celestials every 100 years.”

“But that’s not fair! Why would a god marry a mortal?! This tradition is ridiculous!” He roared. The two were alone in her room, but a knock came at the door. 

Hinata glanced at the door and said, “It is time. I’m sorry, my brother. I’m sorry.” She started walking to the door and cried out, “Come in!” Immediately the doors flew open and priests or shamans, Sakura didn’t know, dressed all in white with an eastern fashion, bowed their heads. Hinata walked out toward them and they surrounded her to form a procession.

Neji cried out as Hinata began to leave the room, “Sister! Don’t go!” He wanted to just snatch her back and run, but if he caused too much trouble, the shamans warned he would be condemned and imprisoned.

Hinata’s lips trembled, but she held back her tears as she glanced back one last time. With a smile, she said, “It is my fate, brother. Please do not worry for me. Goodbye.” 

Neji’s breath froze in his chest. She turned away quickly but he still caught the misery and resignation on her face. He rushed forward, trying to reach his hand out to her when two of the shamans took him down and pinned him with a swiftness that belied their old age. 

One was an elderly man whose eyes were so pale that his pupil blended in with his sclera. His voice was clipped as he ordered, “Stand down, lower branch son. It is by the princess’s will that you are allowed to attend the sacred ceremony at all. Do we need to leave you in the prison again?” He warned.

Neji paused then slowly shook his head. “No, my lord.”

“Good. Now be good and be the guard you were trained to be. You wil stand to the side of the entrance when we enter, and you will secure our safety.” He sniffed pompously. “To receive the honor of seeing a god at all is far above your status. Be grateful.” They let him go and he followed behind the procession to the wedding hall. 

Neji’s head remained lowered as he walked. His thoughts swirled around his sister’s future. What if the god was evil? What if he abused her? Maybe he could follow them to ensure her safety? His whole life was dedicated to the princess, but the god wouldn’t appreciate a mere mortal guard as his wife’s protection. Hinata was the only one who saw him as a human, but now she would be alone in the cruel world of the celestials — how could they not be cruel if they forced mortals to be their brides and sacrifices? He couldn’t abandon her, not his only real family.

And so, a plan formed in his mind while the clueless shamans took their place in the ceremony. 

Then a horrifying truth was revealed. As soon as Hinata recited her vows, the main shaman held out a long sword and said, “And so, with every hundred years, we offer the blood of the pure holy maiden to bless our family —“

Hinata’s eyes widened in horror as she screamed, “You said a god would come! Why are you killing me?!”

“There is no god physically. Your spirit will marry him, free from your fleshy bonds, you will unite with the celestials as our representative in the stars.” He answered coldly. Neji clenched his teeth and began to sprint forward, plan in mind. Kill the old man, get Hinata, escape — 

FWOOSH!

A silver light emerged from the skylight above where the groom should be and a single white star passed through to hover in front of Hinata’s surprised face. Then her face crinkled in pain as she let out a bloodcurdling scream. The shamans gasped in astonishment at the god’s presence, but Neji was only focused on Hinata. What was happening to her? The god was hurting her! He needed to get to her! 

Before Neji could react, shewas lifted off her feet by a silver energy that twisted around her convulsing form. Her back bowed violently in intense pain as she was forced to absorb the holy power that would make her live as a celestial. Neji couldn’t keep watching, he ran towards her. 

“If you are going, so will I!” He ran towards Hinata, knowing the consequences. He didn’t care, she needed him! Neji darted towards the platform where Hinata floated above ground and leaped, aiming to grab Hinata’s hand when, in a blinding flash of light, she and the diety disappeared and Neji plummeted. Hinata was gone, and his fate was sealed. For trying to ruin the wedding of a god, the punishment was death. For those of the Clan, however, death was too easy a punishment. According to scripture, the god demanded Neji’s eternal service as his slave. And for a moment, Neji felt grateful through the haze of anguish. Even if he failed at rescuing Hinata, he could still be in her life as a slave. He was already a slave to the clan, what did it matter if his owner became a god instead. 

What he didn’t realize was that the clan head had begged to administer his own punishment. They couldn’t allow him, a defiant slave, to serve the god he’d disrespected and instead damned him to a crueler fate. 

When a god takes a slave, he strips him of his mortality, coverting him into something that would never exist naturally. Neither god nor mortal, but something in the ambiguous space between them. Neji was beaten within an inch of his life by his fellow lower branch members while the rest of the clan watched on; silent and condemning to the very end. He had been wrapped in chains and placed insidea glass coffin, and as the coffin was pushed into the cold depths of the lake, the shamans chanted above him, gradually fading out the lower he sunk. From high above, Sakura watched as the lone man seemed to sleep for an eternity, alone in this beautiful prison. Up until the moment Neji’s coffin touched the lake bottom, she felt in her heart his regret and loneliness as well as the burning desire to atone for his sins, a desire that burned like a white fire determined to kill all of his bonds to the world. She felt her heart crack as he wished to disappear for his failure to protect his only sister.

The years fast forward again and Neji’s wounds long healed, but he never woke. At one point, she watched as the clan grew and expanded — one year, they built a stone pillar near Neji’s place of slumber, practically right next to the coffin. Another year, they started praying to it. Faster and faster, the years passed until finally battle erupted and soon the clan began to decline. The clan began dying and fading away until only one Hyuuga remained in this world — a lone soul chained at the bottom of the lake for eternity.

And so the dream’s vision ended and all turned pitch black. Suddenly, Sakura felt she was falling in the darkness until she landed in something soft yet ticklish and opened her eyes. “…!” 

……………………………..

……………………………….

Neji had slept for a long time, but it wasn’t a true sleep. He could ’see’ the surface, but he couldn’t take part in its events. Years became seconds in this cold, solitary place, the passage of time marked by the presence and absence of the dull light that reached the bottom of the lake. It was a strange sensation to feel. And yet, he didn’t actually care. Nothing could penetrate the miasmic apathy that’d made a home in his heart. He’d already failed Hinata, so this was his punishment. 

And so, once again, he watched the world pass by and expected this day to be no different. Soon, he’d forget its events anyway since it was all the same to him — strangers who lived and died and had no bearing on his own life. In the early days he’d tried calling for help. Days and nights and years spent asking for help until he fell silent. Nowadays, visitors were rare and so he could only watch animals…but then something unusual happened. 

For the past few days, he’d been having strange dreams. The dreams weren’t always clear, more like flashes of image and sensation. In the very first dream, he heard a woman’s voice calling out to a godmother. Then he heard her secret wishes, her fears and dreams. Sometimes, she appeared to be fighting and then other times, she was moaning and he couldn’t help his reaction. Never had he listened in on a woman so closely before, but unlike other days that passed by like seconds, the past few days felt the longest. Each second seemed to pass by slowly as he yearned to hear her voice again. He didn’t know her name, face or even what country she was from, but he could somehow understand her language, which sounded like music to his ears. 

Then one day, he heard her voice again but this time a woman appeared before him. Like a mirage, the mysterious woman with cherry blossom hair floated above him just out of reach and his heart pounded. Th-Thump. Th-thump.

A strange pull burned through his veins as he was sucked into those watery jade eyes. Her soft lips tempted him to bite. She was naked, and he could see her perfection surrounded by a faint light like a forbidden fruit he could only dream about. She was beautiful. So beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her and he couldn’t tell if that was from her beauty or the fact that he had been chained inside an endless cycle of eternal loneliness and regret where the days merged and his emotions faded. Until now.

Around him, the water itself thrummed with power as her lips slightly parted and he wished he could touch them. She seemed to be calling out to the water itself as it danced to her call, but he knew she wasn’t staring at him. From the snippets of conversation he could gather from her past words, she’d been talking with others. He knew she wasn’t aware of his existence, but when her eyes looked straight into his, he wanted to — he needed to — feel like she was calling for him. 

Currents surrounded the coffin as the woman moaned and his cold body warmed. Her expression of ecstasy, her pure aura full of freedom and vitality was so enchanting he couldn’t look away. Her very eyes held him hostage more than his chains as he grew immersed into the fire that burned within them. The sacred lake responded to her call and Neji knew only beings with a high affinity for water could make the very environment react to them. The being would need to be affiliated with the element and be powerful as well. She was either nymph, merfolk, mage or a goddess, he deduced. And as one imprisoned in the powers of the lake and enslaved to it’s rules, the water’s power connected to him as well so he felt her power touch his. He knew it was her power that was flowing through this lake, but how? How was this possible? He’d never seen her come here before!

But what did it matter? He just wanted her here. Neji didn’t want this dream to end, but he knew it was a matter of time. If only he could move, he’d be able to track her down! He struggled violently inside his glass coffin to no avial. Frustration tore at him. He wished —

Suddenly, an intense wave of power burst from within his heart as the lake began to settle and the woman disappeared. Against his will, his eyes began to flutter close as a warm feeling made him feel sleepy. This had never happened before. Sleep was a luxury for mortals and yet…

For the first time in a long time, the Hyuuga could finally truly fall asleep.

……………………………..

……………………………….

The spell’s voice called out: 

[ _Soul: Neji Hyuuga. The last semi-mortal Hyuuga and cursed slave of the Hyuuga main branch. By disrupting a sacred ritual, he was sentenced to eternal imprisonment in holy water to appease the gods. But the gods of the moon still disappeared and the clan ultimately fell. Save the Soul from his enslavement and preserve the last direct bloodline of the moon._

_Required: Break away all the chains that bound him._

_Time Limit: One Night. Time is of the essence, Chosen._ ]

Sakura gaped at the sight that fell before her. A pristine lake spread before her eyes, glimmering under the pale moonlight like a dream, a beautiful silent refuge of solitude. The moonlight was strong enough that she could even see into the clear waters of the lake with no issue. In the center of this lake was a single stone pillar where Neji was confined.

Dressed in a simple sand warrior garb with scarves and knives lined at his hips, Gaara looked around curiously before his eyes landed on Sakura staring at the lake. While she gazed at it’s beauty, he gazed at her — dressed in a blue suit that shimmered like a starlight, it conformed to her curves as it stuck to her skin. The fabric seemed to also be smoother than any cloth he’d seen before. And even when her body was mostly covered, he felt more aroused. He imagined ripping the smooth fabric apart like she was a present to unwrap, but he restrained himself. This time, he wanted to go on a date. He didn’t really care about the mission, but he would make sure his Sakura got all the help she needed. It was fun — partnering up for a mission even if he was mostly back up. Hmm. What could he help his woman with? He peered out at the lake with a frown. Water wasn’t his thing. Then he looked down at his feet and felt the sand with his toes. An idea came to mind.

Pleased to find something of use, he focused back on their ‘date’ and smirked, “So this is how it feels to travel across time and space. Hmm. I wonder how you felt when you landed in my arena and was forced to fight?” He blinked at her with curious innocence. “You must have felt shocked. Here, let me show my apologies.” Without missing an opportunity, Gaara swooped in to hold Sakura between his arms and she giggled.

“Suave. Gaara, I’m beginning to think you are more conniving than Itachi at times.” She raised a brow but hugged him back. 

Gaara stuck his tongue out playfully, “It is all games. I adore you, Lady Sakura. Whatever I plan would always be in your benefit.” He sniffed her hair. “How is it that you always smell like berries and flowers and…?” He sniffed again as he nuzzled against her neck. “Mmm. Yes, and whatever sweet intoxication that is purely you? I could just lay in your scent.”

“Magic and good hygiene. Super convenient, right?” Sakura joked before she let go and walked up to the lake’s shore to scan the area. “Neji must be near that pillar, but how would his body look? If he’s been in a coffin for hundreds of years, would he be a zombie? A ghost? Would I need to do exorcism?” She wasn’t sure what the dream wanted this time. She never dealt with a sleeping beauty inside a lake before.

“I sense a powerful magic there.” He said as he connected his power to the sand beneath the lake like how a bat found it’s location through soundwaves. With all the scattered sand in the water, he could sense faint images of coral, caves and sea creatures.

“I wish I could sense things like you, Gaara. I really need magic lessons.” Could she track things with light magic?

“You are already very powerful, but I will aid in your learning process so you can remain safe. Unfortunately, Sasori is the mage to ask as my magic is from a spirit inside me, but I can teach you about sensing your power and using it to access elements to listen for you.” As a sand mage whose power originated from a sealed spirit, he had different spells and abilities than those of the main elements like light and darkness. Manipulating the sand, he could feel certain objects within the cloud of sand as he scattered them all over the lake and he soon detected Neji’s location and the general shape of a coffin. “I can take us there so you don’t have to swim or waste power flying, but the coffin is very deep. You would need to be a fish to get down there in one breath.” 

“No problem, I can breathe underwater.”

Gaara glanced at her in surprise. “What the — You know what, darling love of mine? I should be the one asking for tips. Since when did you learn that magic?”

“Um, Kisame.” Sakura only said that. “Special bonding magic.”

Enough said. Gaara nodded. “Hmm, that’s good of him to bless you. Tch. I wish I could lend you my magic as well.” He pouted. “The more magic the merrier to keep you safe and it would be a great honor to see you play around with sand.” He said it like it was an innocent his suggestion, but the lust in his eyes gave him away and Sakura laughed.

“Hey, you’re true colors are showing, Gaara! I think you dropped your innocent mask back at the castle.” She ran a finger down his arm playfully with a suggestive smile. “Not that I mind. You are by my side so I trust you will protect me, sir warrior.” She winked. 

Gaara gave her a peck on her lips and said with a heated breath, “But my lady, if I could, I would love for you to conquer the enemy with my sand. It’d be…romantic, as the artists would say. Such a shame. I’ll have to think of another gift in the future.” Why did she suddenly feel like he wanted to give her magic like it was a present for a lover. Since when were magical powers that could make kings envy the same as roses and chocolates?! 

“Truly, I appreciate the thought, but I am quite happy to just be with you, Gaara.” Sakura smiled at him.

“Hm. Later, you must show me that appreciation.” He smirked at her. “Intimately.”

“Why, Mr. Innocent, I wonder what you mean?” Sakura smirked back. “Now, come on. We have a coffin to break into.”

Gaara leaned into Sakura’s body and wrapped his arm around her until she was snug against him. With a seductive grin, his green eyes lit up as he said, “Stay close.” Then he raised an arm and sand from the shore rose until, like a small cyclone, it encircled around them and lifted the pair up into air. Gaara made the sand form a small boat that carried the two as they sailed through the sky toward the stone pillar.

Sakura marveled at the feeling of being lifted up like this. No matter how many times she saw her lovers’ magic, they always took her breath away. Watching Gaara summon the sand like he was a maestro and seeing the way his lips tilted just-so with pleasure as he had fun with his magic felt intimate, as if she was peeking into his heart. The last time she saw his magic, he was fighting for his life in the colisseum. Now, he looked at ease, wild and free at the same time like a man unchained. As a court mage once told her: the way one performed their magic spoke volumes about the way they approached the world and so watching a mage’s magic was a kind of like peeking into their heart. It was why most mages hated performing their magic for others just for the sake of it. But here, Gaara seemed to be having fun making a little boat just for the two of them and a warm feeling trickled in her heart at his unbridled enthusiasm as he perfected the boat’s shape while he carried them over the water. This was the true Gaara.

Finally satisfied with his creation, he could understand why the idiotic artists grew so passionate over their crafts now. It felt like a dream — sailing over the water with his love in his creation. Gaara didn’t notice Sakura’s staring as he basked in the moment of holding his lady by his side as they gazed at the sight of the lake and mountains while he guided them to their destinatinon. The full moon and infinite stars reflected on the lake’s surface with a million sparkling lights and it was like a dream come true. If only they weren’t on a mission, he could take his time. After the dreams end, they would have more chances to go out like this. Once the spell ended, Gaara would make sure to keep Sakura by his side. If the spell tore them apart, he would find her without a doubt. That was a promise.

When they reached the pillar, it felt too soon. Gaara reluctantly let go of Sakura as she peered off the edge of the floating sand vessel to peer in the water and she could faintly make out a spark of light at the bottom. She said, “Thank you, Gaara! I’ll take it from here.”

“I’ll be waiting for you here. I don’t want to stand on that mysterious pillar so I’ll float here until you’re ready to leave. The place reeks with holy power, gross, so just send me a signal when you’re done. I can hover here all day.” He may be a sand mage, but his sealed spirit within him was of the demonic side so he didn’t like to be near holy relics. He narrowed his eyes and the black eyeliner made him seem like a cute panda with fluffy red hair. “If there is an emergency, send me a signal and I will come immediately. Even if you can only send out a tiny spark of light, I will see it.”

“I will. Don’t worry, I’m just going to see if I can wake him up and figure it out from there. The fairy godmother wouldn’t send me to a dream world I had no chance of completing. I trust her. I’ll send a light ball or something if anything happens.” Sakura replied then gave him a quick hug. “Thanks, Gaara. See you soon!” And with that, she dove into the lake like a fish to water. As soon as she hit the water, she felt Kisame’s magic take over and breathed. Two hours. “Let’s go!”

………………………….

……………………………

Under the lake’s surface, Sakura swam toward a faint glimmer in the distance. Light barely reflected off the glass and encased inside the coffin was Neji. He was pale, but she had a feeling that he was still alive. Thank god he wasn’t an undead who craved meat or who knew how she could help him. She’d be too busy running away pathetically. The popular stories from the traveling theater troupes used to say that most cursed to a half-life became walking corpses so she was worried.

She shook her head. Focus, Sakura! Save the mysterious man in the coffin first!

She tapped on the glass. Nope. He didn’t even flutter an eyelash. She tried to punch the coffin, but the water pulled back at her and it became a feeble hit. Next, she created a ball of light and aimed it toward the leg area in case glass shards harmed him. Healing a leg was better than a face! She’d control the force…it was usually enough to blast men off their feet so it should break glass! 

WHOOSH!!

As soon as the light hit the coffin, it started to crack as silver light poured out of it. Startled, Sakura swam back a bit and a strange woman’s voice hummed in the water —

The Gods of the Moon accept the Fae’s Blessed for the Trial. Tame the mad son, prove your worth for the moon’s blessing. Only one is destined to free the soul.

Then the light vanished and the coffin along with it. Instead, Neji stood upright in the water and the symbol on his forehead glowed with a silver light. He opened his eyes and…

Suddenly attacked. With a growl, the man darted forward in the water as if he were on land and kicked her in the chest.

Sakura coughed out blood at the strength of his kick and hurried to use her magic to propel her through the heavy waters. She tried to mimick a fish as she moved and by reflex raised a shield of light around her — BAM!

Neji’s eyes were crazed as he pummeled his fists against her shield and her magic shook with each hit. Sakura was astounded by his strength. She tried to throw a hard punch and the water soften her blow by tenfold. How on earth did he hold so much strength and why didn’t gravity and the sea’s pressure affect his movements?! If only she had Kisame here —

No. The voice must have been a spell like how her dreams were narrated by a voice as well. This was a trial. If she had help, she probably wouldn’t even be able to wake up the man. She had to win this on her own, but how? 

Sakura held up her shield as she looked around for any hint to stopping an extremely strong, crazed man who was trapped underwater for hundreds of years. Well. Do-able. There were only coral around her and the fish had long swam off, but when she peered at the stone pillar, there was a single tunnel at the bottom. It stood out so there must be a hint inside! At the very least, she could block him off with her shields at the tunne’s entrance while she planned her next move.

BAM. BAM. BAM.

Sakura took the risk and just blasted her shield at him until Neji flew off with the sudden wave of magic. While he was propelled way by momentum, she quickly used her magic to hasten her swim to the tunnel’s entrance. It was outlined in white coral. Like how she focused on a force launching her when she flew in the sky, she did the same underwater. And with the power Kisame gave her, she could even get a sense for the ocean’s currents. Faster! She had to make it before Neji could catch up!

She didn’t dare look back as she was sure Neji was right behind her. The man didn’t have the law of physics apply to him apparently so she couldn’t afford to break focus. Almost there…!

With a final push, she made it through the tunnel’s entrance, just feeling Neji’s cold fingers graze her ankle, and soon discovered an underwater temple! It wasn’t as large as the ones in the capital, but it could easily house a small gathering. Although the walls were made of crystal and it looked stunning, it wasn’t helpful right now. There was nothing but a single altar at the end and symbols painted on the walls in black. Resigned for a brawl, she quickly surrounded herself with another light barrier before turning around to face Neji’s punches, but he was nowhere in sight! 

GROOOWL!!! Neji roared in a way that was neither human nor in the language of the sea and she could feel the origin’s power in her bones. A slight shiver went down her spine. It was like she was facing a dragon! She bit her lips as she tried to look around for any more clues, weapons, anything to buy time.

 **BAM. BAM. BAM!!!** Neji pounded away at the tunnel’s entrance when Sakura realized he couldn’t come here. The hollow man banged against an invisible wall and wailed. He never stopped pounding as if he only knew how to react and couldn’t form detailed strategies. He was just like the undead told in stories albeit more handsome.

With a sigh of relief, Sakura relaxed her shoulders a bit. Oh, thank gods. Now what?

She studied Neji’s angry form for a while longer before finally feeling secure that he wouldn’t suddenly pop up behind her. Next, she began to look closely at this mysterious place. An underwater temple hidden beneath a stone pillar that blocked the powerful warrior from entering had to be related to Neji’s curse.

And so, Sakura studied the walls of the temple and the ancient symbols drawn on them. On the pale crystal walls of various colors, there were drawings of stars and moons and people in white robes who seemed to fall from the heavens toward robed woman waiting at an altar drawn on the bottom of the wall. The scene repeated itself mulitple times. Each time, there was a god with a different face and a robed lady whose head was always bowed and expression hidden by her hood. This must be the story of the moon god and the princess, like Hinata.

From outside, she could hearing the banging non-stop as if the man didn’t even need a break to recuperate from his wild hits. She had to break his curse with the knowledge from this temple since escaping wasn’t an option. 

Once she scanned everything on the walls without understanding the ancient symbols, she walked toward the stone altar in the center of the room. Did the main Hyuuga clan know that this place existed before they trapped Neji in a coffin near here? Or were they not able to reach the bottom of the lake and never realized? Who built this place? She was plagued with so many questions to ask and no one to answer them. 

As she stood at the simple stone altar, there was only drawings of the moon cycle running around the edges of the round altar. In the center was a familiar symbol. It was an intricate design holding a sun, star and moon, but in the middle of all that was a star-tipped wand. And there was only one famous legend who was known for those wands. But it couldn’t be or could it? Godmother Ella was the one who led her to these worlds. Could a fairy godmother be entangled with not only the fae, but also the moon gods?!

She looked about the room again, but there was nothing else. Not even chairs. So she focused on the strange symbol and suddenly had the urge to touch it. She held out a finger and just in case, formed a light barrier around herself like the armor she created like when she fought alongside Kisame. Like a golden knight of legend, her armor of light shone in the waters while her hair danced around her despite the transparent helmet of light on her.

Ready for anything, she hoped, she placed one golden-tipped finger on the symbol and instantly, a white fire burned above the altar. She took her hand back as the floating white flame expanded and spread until it became a pillar of fire that encased the entire altar.

Sakura watched in astonishment as she felt the power burning inside her. It felt like liquid lightning that surged in her veins just like that intense pillar of flame. The sensation grew stronger and stronger until pure light poured out of her and everything faded within it’s embrace. And it was in that moment, that a memory played out before them in an illusion that seemed so real. The illusion was Hinata.

Suddenly, time seemed to stand still as the woman from the vision emerged before her. It was the first time that happened. Dressed as she was on her wedding day, the black haired princess whose eyes were like glistening full moons smiled at her.

Hinata said, “Greetings. I am Hinata, princess of the Hyuuga and the one who sealed this place to keep the true soul of the Hyuuga safe. As promised with the Vow of Balance, I have stood watched over the last son of the moon until the destined chosen of the Fae’s Blessed arrived. You have found the entrance to the temple despite the pressuring attacks of the warrior with your sense of awareness, calmness and quick reaction. Well done and welcome, Fae’s Blessed.” Suddenly, a bright blue star emerged next to her and Sakura could feel the immense power in it’s blue depths. Neji’s powerful presence was nothing compared to this being. Was it truly a god?! Sakura fought the urge to kneel as she focused on the divine pair.

An ethereal, low voice spoke like a tidal of waves she couldn’t put to words, “And I am one of the Celestials, a God of the Moon and husband of Hinata the Moon Goddess. For you who fought to break through to here, I wish to convey my gratitude. And I thank you in advance for your future trials.” The voice seemed sad yet proud as it paused. Finally, it resumed speaking, “I can only show you this form or I may sin as many before me have and tear apart your mortal form with my presence. Now that you are here, my wife will tell you what you need to know and I will owe you a favor for freeing my wife from her bound to this place with the release of the Hyuuga.”

Hinata bowed her head and reached a hand out to touch Sakura’s forehead. A symbol of a purple diamond outlined with silver appeared above the center of her brows. “With this, you have the blessing of Our favor. Sakura Haruno, Chosen of Godmother Ella, I wish to give you my aid and I hope you will continue to help others. I see a challenging and bright future ahead of you. It depends on your generation now.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped and she almost forgot to breathe! A goddess and god gave her their blessing? That was the same as receiving a Fae’s blessing. What kind of power did they give her and why? She was only here to grant a single wish not save the kingdoms from great peril as they made it sound.

Right?

Hinata rubbed her thumb along Sakura’s cheek as if she were her granddaughter and Sakura remembered that although the fair maiden looked her age with soft puffy cheeks and big bright eyes, she had probably watched over this place for hundreds of years while Neji ‘slept’. The maiden from her vision was a goddess now. She looked stronger, wiser and truly alive. She looked the opposite of the lost, resigned princess that aimed to sacrifice herself for her clan. Sakura wondered if she could ever hope to become like this goddess. 

Hinata smiled and said, “I can not say too much, but please look after my brother. We will be watching over you two always.” Then she let go of Sakura and held out a palm. Her eyes flashed and a tear dotted her eye. “Neji-nii-sama has finally regained consciousness.”

Oh. No wonder she couldn’t hear any more drunken wailing — ahem — mad screaming from the entrance. 

A man stumbled into the temple then he froze at the sight of the pale-eyed goddess. He rushed toward the altar. Once again, he walked like he defied physics as he stormed inside. Maybe it was an influence of the Celestials. Neji’s eyes watered as he cried out, “Sister!” He ran toward her embrace and hugged her hard. Sobs erupted from him as he cried out, “It’s been so long. I wish I could have —“

“I know. It’s alright, Neji-nii-sama. I am happy.” She wrapped her arms around him. “You saw, right? The moon god is my husband. He is kind and patient and accompanied me in this temple while we waited for your time to be released. I am sorry you had to wait so long. If only I could have let you truly sleep, but to do so would require that I risk your body to the decays of time with your lack of consciousness so I settled for muddling your sense of time. Please forgive me.”

Neji hugged her tighter. “Nonsense. I should ask for forgiveness.”

Sakrua’s eyes teared up at the touching moment, but after a while it became awkward. It felt like she interrupted a private family reunion. Then the blue star, the moon god, chuckled and spoke, “Sakura is waiting to be introduced formally, my dear.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Hinata’s eyes were moist as tears of pearls fell from her eyes. Clink clink. They fell delicately toward the floor. “I apologize. It seems that power of mine hasn’t gone away.”

Neji laughed. “Like old times.”

Sakura stared wide eyed at the pearls. Wait. She could cry pearls as a mortal? How useful would that be for her travels should she leave the castle — She shook her head again. Stop getting distracted!

Hinata gestured toward Sakura, “Neji-nii-sama. This is the Fae Chosen. Sakura Haruno. Please protect her well. She has a great destiny to fulfill.” 

The moment Neji realized there was another person and turned to greet her, he froze. She — She — His face heated up and he struggled to speak, “Y-You are the dream, I mean, the godd — no.”

Sakura tilted her head in confusion. Hinata also raised a brow. “Are you fine, Neji-nii-sama?”

“No.” Neji finally said then sighed. “I think I am connected to her. I had dreams of her and felt her power. Your power.” He stepped closer toward Sakura, not realizing that he was the mad beast trying to bash her face in moments before. “It is good to meet you, Lady Sakura.” He bent to kiss her on the back of her hand.

Hinata giggled in secret before she got down to business. It wasn’t long before she had to leave for the celestial realms whether she wanted to or not. Her role was over. “I have no more time. Just know, my dear brother, that your future lies with her. I won’t force you to listen, but I have had visions so it is up to you how you want to act from now on. But in the visions, you are to be one of her guardians. There will be a trial and you must learn to support her to help preserve the balance of this world. If you do not wish to do this task, then I can free you from it, but you will lose —“

Neji didn’t hesitate, “I spent hundreds of years caged up and now I am here with my destiny. I will support her wholly, sister, do not fret.” From birth, destiny was the core of their beliefs so to hear that his suffering had purpose was truly a god’s gift. There was nothing else he truly wanted anymore save his sister’s happiness…and her. This was a true miracle and it felt so unreal that he feared this was another dream. He clenched his fist.

“This isn’t a dream, Neji-nii-sama.” Hinata knew Neji wanted to do this for different reasons, but she kept silent with a cheeky grin. She was glad he could finally be free in spirit and body now.

Flustered, Sakura looked back and forth and said, “Wait! I can’t just accept this. You barely know me and what destiny and I won’t force you to follow me—“

At that moment, both Neji and Hinata and that damn Celestial star seemed to give her puppy dog eyes and she couldn’t finish her words. “…Can’t we try out how we get along first?” Sure, she was attracted to the man, but she wasn’t expecting promises of forevers and epic destinies from this dream world spell journey she was on! But she did want to help the poor soul who was chained here. So she added, “If you feel any different about this situation later, do not worry. I will let you go with enough to get you started on a new life. I promise.”

Neji gulped as she stared at him with such a serious gaze and he his heart sped up. He said softly, “That won’t happen, but I agree. We should get to know each other better. I will serve you well until we are close then.” Neji said graciously, but deep down he felt a bit sad at her serious face. Was it just him going crazy with these feelings? That was fine. He had time. He knew how to be patient.

Hinata glanced at Neji knowingly before she said, “Now I need your help, Sakura, dear. Your magic is blessed by the Fae and their power is potent enough to break our seal. Please, if you can help me release the curse from Neji then you can return. Please give me your hand. I will guide you through the process.” 

“Of course, Goddess.” She held out her hand. Shoot! If she knew that, she would have just broke the seal on his head first!

“And don’t fret - you need a celestial to help you break this seal so you did well on her trial.” She smiled at her with fondness. “And you may simply call me Hinata.” She took Sakura’s hand and her eyes glowed a brilliant blue and silver while she guided Sakura’s power within her. Slowly, she placed Sakura’s plam on Neji’s forehead, where the seal laid, and white light shone from her palm. Soon, the seal on Neji was released and the symbol on his forehead faded away. With a sigh, the moon goddess said, “You are finally free.”

Neji didn’t know what to think or even feel. He never thought this day would come. He was prepared to wallow in punishment for eternity and he couldn’t stop his tears from falling. After being trapped in a coffin who could only see the world through visions, but never take part in it, he thought he lost all sense of his emotions, but look at him now. His voice faltered, “There is so much I do not fully comprehend, Sister.”

Hinata’s tears fell as she watched her brother cry and she was so, so grateful she could finally release him from his curse. As she thought about her clan, a deep rage echoed as she hissed, “When my husband took me away from the altar, I didn’t feel angry at the clan even though they tried to kill me. I still believed it was my fate and they were only doing their part in the greater scheme. But when they chained you and sent you down to a lonely hell, Neji, they crossed the line. The clan was nothing but corrupt and cruel, but they were quite foolish to think I would protect them as a goddess just because I was an obedient princess. So I cursed them. I made sure they would all pay for their actions. I had hoped maybe the children would grow up better, but they hadn’t and slowly the birth rate declined and their powers waned. I am only sorry that the power to release you from your curse wasn’t soley mine to utilize as it just so happened there was a prophecy of the Fae linked to this temple. And there was enemies watching to break in. So I could only wait with you and stand guard until dear Sakura came. Neji, you have suffered because of me.” More and more tears fell from her face as she told her story and soon the temple grounds were dotted with pearls. 

Neji hugged Hinata and he could feel how cold her skin was, how power radiated from her. She wasn’t the mortal anymore, but she was always his dear sister first. Even as a goddess, she still had pearls trickled down her face like she had when she was a child. “I should be saying sorry for having you suffer for my failings. If only I was stronger then I would never have got caught and you would have lived happily with the celestials all this time. You should have left me.” He knew he couldn’t change time however and so he said, “But thank you.”

Hinata sobbed, “You are the only family I have, Neji.”

After a long while, the two let go and Hinata gestured to the hovering blue star. She said, “Even though he looks like this, my husband is quite talkative so I wasn’t alone. He couldn’t stay down here forever as he had duties he still must fulfill as one of the moon gods, however he came down a lot so don’t worry over my wait. I’m just so happy to see this day. So happy.”As she said so, both her and the star were beginning to fade and Neji instinctively reached out, but held back. 

Hinata’s lips trembled at her parting. “Now that my role is over, the realm calls for me. I wish we had more time, but we don’t.” The raven-haired beauty then turned to Sakura. “Once again, thank you for releasing my brother. I have heard tales of your exploits from the Fae, Chosen. Please watch over him for me. I sense you two will go far together.” Then she placed her hands on both Neji and Sakura’s heads. “Husband.”

The blue star moved to hover above Hinata’s head and soon her hands glowed as a strange energy poured into Neji and Sakura. Then she dropped her hands and smiled with the radiance of a goddess. “You two now have the blessing of both the Moon God and Goddess. Neji, you now have the power of the main Hyuuga clan — even more so. I trust you will use your strengths to do great things.” The pale-eyed princess and the star’s forms faded to the point that they were transparent ghosts.

Hinata’s fading smile was blinding as she wrapped her arms around Neji’s shoulders one last time, her long white sleeves dancing in the air as she leaned in and whispered, “I love you, Neji-nii-sama. Now be happy and enjoy your freedom. I will always be watching over you.”

And just like that, they vanished from the temple leaving the two mortals on their own. A silence loomed over them as they took in what happened and Sakura felt for Neji’s loss. If she had family like that, she would be devastated to see her go even though she was in a happier place. She hoped they could see her again one day.

When he finally got used to the state of feeling again, he faced Sakura. “So she was happy.” Then he told her his story as if he were confessing to a goddess himself. He had to tell his story to Sakura, “Sa — Sakura. I could see the world through visions that came and go even as I lost my sense of time. No matter how many years seemed to pass, I could never truly sleep. It was my punishment. But recently I heard your voice and had a vision of you, Sakura. I can only imagine you are a goddess if you knew the Fae and held the power to save my life. So let me thank you formally.” He bowed deeply. Sakura noted how his body still didn’t have the law of physics apply to him as he moved as elegantly as he did on land and didn’t even try to breathe. Was he still human anymore when his curse ended? But then, she lived with dark mages and mermen so she didn’t think too hard about it. Going with the flow, she focused on another thing.

“It was no problem, but I am not a goddess. Truly. My name is Sakura Haruno, a simple runaway noble lady who is being helped by a fairy godmother.”

Neji shook his head. “Only those with the power of Celestials may enter this holy place and break the seal.”

“Well I think it’s because of my light magic —“ Sakura paused. She felt her magic act up inside her in warning and she wondered how long it had been. Kisame’s magic wouldn’t last forever! “I need to go to the surface. The magic that helps me breathe underwater is warning me it’ll soon be time.”

Without missing a beat, Neji dashed up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Let me take you. I am faster than you underwater.” He recalled her slowed movements underwater and wondered why he wasn’t affected by the pressures of the sea. Was it magic or was his body not the same he knew anymore? There was no time to question it. He quickly pulled both of them out of the temple and to the surface — the only time he paused was when he left the temple grounds. As soon as they passed through the entrance, the tunnel collapsed as well as the stone pillar. And just like that, everything he ever knew crumbled away.

Neji shook his head and kept swimming up as he made sure not to hold Sakura too tightly — he could only look forward from now on. When Sakura and Neji reached the surface of the water, she merely used her magic to make them float toward Gaara’s sand boat. Gaara was expecting them and made space.

Sakura cried out, “Gaara. I met a moon god and goddess.”

Gaara nodded. He wasn’t surprised. The goddess always had something happening. “I see. Whose he?” He didn’t care about other gods, only about Sakura and who will join their forces. 

“That’s it? Not curious about celestials or moon myths?”

“Meh. I’m like Kakashi, not my problem. When I die, there’d be too many of them to see anyway. Now whose he?” Gaara sized up the pale-eyed man whose long, black hair rivaled Itachi’s. He couldn’t wait to instigate the invulnerable Uchiha by saying Sakura liked Neji’s hair better. On reflex, he always looked for ways to torment his rivals/fellow guardians.

Neji seemed to understand Gaara’s instinct and bowed slightly. “I am Neji Hyuuga. A guardian to join your cause, as commanded by the moon goddess.” He said formally.

“If that’s your only reason, you are free to leave. We got it covered.” Gaara snorted. He didn’t need people here by obligation. But if he wasn’t, then…

Sakura frowned, but then Neji interjected. With a fierce gaze, he said, “I also am here to guard the goddess Sakura as one who respects her fully. So I am afraid I cannot leave her side.” He didn’t understand his feelings entirely, but he had a gut instinct that he couldn’t leave her side without losing something important and so he added, “She is more important to me than my life.”

“Ohhh? Good. Exactly as it should be. I’m Gaara. You’ll meet — meh, you’ll see.”Gaara focused on Sakura and Neji. A new rival has arrived, but maybe he could mentor the man and gain an ally. Shrewd thoughts ran through the sand warrior’s mind as he contemplated strategies to make the other men at a disadvantage to gaining more time with the lady. It was a fun game they played at the castle, all for Sakura’s favor. And he could understand being powerless and enslaved so deep down, he related to the pale-eyed man, although he would never admit it. 

Sakura scolded before poor Neji got overwhelmed by her sand trickster, “Okay, enough! Let’s get to shore, please.” 

“Of course, my love.” Gaara said as he didn’t tell Neji about the other guardians. Let him think she was only his for now. Heh. To him, messing with the others were fun, but not with Sakura. He held a wet pink strand between his fingers. Unbeknowest to him, Neji already got the hint there may be others. “Maybe we should have brought extra clothing.”

“I wish. But you know how the castle works. My clothes change at random at any moment.” She then used her magic to dry her and Neji as the boat rapidly sped to shore. “There.”

Gaara pouted. “I wanted to warm you up personally, but I won’t press you.” He eyed her. “Yet.” Then soon, the boat landed back on shore and the sand dispersed as soon as they landed. 

Now standing by themselves at the shore, Sakura was surprised they weren’t immediately transferred home. She tried to think why — she saved Neji, solved a mystery of the temple, met a moon god…what more could she do? She looked at Gaara, “I can’t think of a reason why we aren’t back at the castle?”

Gaara pursed his lips, glanced at Neji then back. “Maybe you need to fu — I mean, perhaps you should join hands with the moon man.” 

Sakura blinked at him. Then her face burned with embarrassment. W-Well, she did explore, ahem, a lot since she landed in these dreams, but the man just woke up after thousands of years! Surely there were more important issues?! But it was true that she didn’t return until she had time to truly get to know the soul of the dream. Maybe she needed to connect with the lost man? But not physically — he just woke up from a long dream she was sure. Maybe the job wasn’t done until she could reach the heart of the soul and not just help him in his predicament. 

She didn’t understand how she could have done it so far, but reaching someone’s heart was more complicated than fighting. And she had a time limit. Damn, but it was worth a try. Unlike in the other dreams, where the men were like her and didn’t mind getting intimate, Neji was like the moon — alone and pure. He just gave off a solitary vibe. Of course, she could be exaggerating, but even so, the man spent years watching the world pass by from within a lake so… Wait a minute, how was he not crazy right now? She would be! “Neji, I know being on the surface suddenly must be overwhelming. How are you feeling?”

Neji gazed deep into her emerald eyes and he almost fell into a trance at the vibrant color that seemed to dance. He cleared his throat. “I would have dreams as I slept. Although I was aware of passing time, it was like a very long dream. If I focused, I could remember things, but otherwise it’s all a haze. Do not worry for me as there is nothing to worry about.” He touched his forehead where seal used to be. “This seal used to chain me, but it also kept me sane so that is an optimistic wonder. I’m…just happy being here. Being anywhere.”

Sakura teared up at his confession and she gestured to a place to sit on the sand. “If you want, we can just chat or do you want to be alone with your thoughts. I do not want to pressure you right now.”

“No.” He gently took her hand. “No. I would like to converse with you.” And so the two sat down while Gaara gave them space. And chatted. 

At first, Neji talked about his childhood, not knowing Sakura saw it in a vision. On her end, Sakura listened wholeheartedly and soon the awkwarness became familiar. Neji began to ask Sakura about her childhood and she mentioned horses and carriages, the western foods and hobbies of ladies she found boring. He laughed.

When they seemed to be laughing too hard, Gaara sat down next to them to join in. 

For the first time, she simply just talked with the soul of the dream and yet she still felt as intimate as she did when she was embraced. While she wasn’t as shy about her body anymore, she realized she hadn’t placed on as much value on her own words and opinions as she thought. 

The fact that she was surprised that her words could reach a person without being a lover said volumes on her conditioned beliefs. As far back as she could remember, she was told that women had no rights, no opinions and that their voices were pleasantries and music. A woman couldn’t sway a man’s opinion and had no right to property nor children so why should she care? Even though she thought she had grown since entering this fairy tale spell, it seemed she still had a lot to work on for herself. 

Neji kissed the back of her hand shyly and whispered, “Thank you for listening to my worries, goddess. A worthless slave like me didn’t deserve your time.”

“You are not worthless!” Sakura grabbed his hands and held them up. “You are a loyal, strong warrior and a truly loving soul. If you say that again, then…then I am not a goddess! In fact, I won’t even be worthy to be called a human being! So stop disrespecting yourself or I’ll disrespect myself. You are worthy, Neji.” Since the man didn’t find love for himself then she’d threaten the one he was dead set on calling a goddess! It felt silly using herself as a threat, but it seemed to work.

Neji smiled softly and he bowed his head to touch his forehead on their entwined hands. “As you command, my goddess. If you insist on giving value to me then I shall strive to uphold your expectations.”

“Please realize that is not the reason to do so, but I won’t rush you. You will see your value in time.”

“Yes, goddess.”

“Sakura.” She pouted. “Stop calling me goddess.”

“Sakura,” Neji licked his lips. “Yes, goddess Sakura. That is a fitting name.”

“…Oh fine.” Well, he needed time to get used to the idea of not being treated as a slave and she needed to remember that her words have weight. So both of them had a common goal. A warm feeling bloomed in her heart. 

Gaara laid a hand on both of their shoulders and said, “Sakura, dear, don’t worry. It takes time to adjust when you stop being a slave but I can understand. You can also rely on me, Neji, if you need an ear.” In a rare bout of compassion for the other ex-slave, the sand warrior offered his help.

“Yes, great one of the goddess —“

“Ahem!” Sakura interrupted. “Please, you are equal to us, Neji. His name is Gaara, remember?”

Gaara nodded. “She’s right. This isn’t that outdated caste system you called a clan. I mean,” he coughed into his fist and suddenly acted like a kind, wise man beyond his years, “You will find that our home is a place of equality and you are one of us now. If you want to be.” Not one to miss the opportunity to take the man under his wing like a worthy ally, Gaara welcomed him. The others had allies so finally he had his. Of course, he couldn’t let Sakura know his intent.

Neji nodded obliviously and knelt to the ground. “I do! From this day forward, I vow to follow the goddess Sakura with all my heart and soul until this body has met its end.” Like he was finding heaven, his eyes glistened. “You are the one who uncovered the truth about my sister and saved myself. My life is yours.”

Sakura knelt down in front of him and gently raised him to his feet. She said, “No, you saved your sister, I simply helped you at the end. Your sacrifice won’t be in vain. I vow to do all I can to help against the dark forces. Whether you join me or want to be free, I will leave it up to you. You can leave anytime. But if you join me, then I will treat you as one of my own. I will treat you as family.”

Neji’s eyes widened at her words. It was the first time he met someone as kind and open as Hinata. After a life of solitude, this mysterious woman even said she’d let him become family. What did he do to deserve such grace? And so he vowed, “I will never leave your side. Go- Ah. Sakura.” He held up her hands to his lips and laid a gentle kiss on the tips of her fingertips. 

Neji’s eyes lowered as he tried to hide the small burning fire that threatened to leak out. He couldn’t believe himself and he didn’t want to scare away the goddess, so he stopped with that kiss. What he didn’t know was Gaara smirking as he watched the real innocent man try to hide his reaction. Only Sakura was clueless as she smiled big and blushed.

“You’re one of us now.” And once more the dream ended as the light took them away…

  
[ _Dream Nine Complete._

_Reward: Don’t Let Family Nor Friends Define You. While the paths of all differ, and some rougher than others, none are to judge your path._

_Find your nothern lights within yourself, learn from others but do not enslave yourself to their words, and seek objective truth to truly grow. This path can be hard as all who do not understand will judge you. Strengthen thyself._

_Bonus Reward: The Fae and Moon Watches With Expectation_ ]

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In her fairy garden, Godmother Ella smiled as she sipped her tea. Dressed in a simple gown of blue with floral embellishments sew in and sapphires along her heels, she looked ready to attend to the queen. But on her golden hair was a worn out butterfly hairclip. A little silver thing dotted with ordinary sky blue beads. Across from her, a dragon laid down, its size shruken just enough to fit in the garden. 

The dragon asks with fondness, “Ella, my dear, is my son treating you well?”

“Why, of course, Mother.” She places her cup down and she touched the little clip in her hair. “How are our babies doing? Once my protege grows, we can bring them home.”

The dragon’s nostrils blew out a tiny wind and she fidgeted, sunlight reflected against her purple scales — the color of royalty. “They are fine, Daughter. Our dragon boy is beginning to be a fine dragon and the rest of the adorable children are beginning to learn proper dragon riding manners — the knight’s son is especially skilled. That son of mine should learn from him. Where is he? He dares to stand up his own mother! Poor Ella, he doesn’t deserve you.”

Ella giggled. “Oh, stop it. I’m flattered, but he really is out scouting right now.” She sighed over her children. “He is working hard so we can finally see the young ones again.”

“This time. Last time, I found him hiding with the knights on the hillside. As if I can’t smell my own blood hiding his tail among the humans — shapeshift or not, he is an idiot to underestimate me. I am old not stupid! Tell me if he wrongs you, I will burn him to a crisp!” The dragon nagged before she calmed down with a huff and switched topics. “But enough about that boy. How is your protege? Will she succeed? It has been at least five years since you could take a break with this stupid war. I miss your visits.”

Only a dragon would view a war as trivial. Ella said, “I miss them, too. We wanted to visit earlier, but Jashin intruded on my territory. Luckily, my protege took care of him without my help. So I say she is doing very well. The Fae Royals are judging her now.”

“The Fae Royals! Hmm, how rare. That is promising.” The dragon’s violet eyes gleamed as she leaned in a bit. “If the Royals are involved, shall I gift her next?”

The two queens smiled at each other warmly, but dangerously. Ella said, “Mother, I was hoping you would say that.” A dragon’s gift wasn’t just given freely, it was earned. And a queen dragon’s gift was even more difficult to attain. 

Even so, she had faith in Sakura. “She may even surpass me.”

The Dragon Queen chuckled. “Good.” A small fire blew from her nostril, but nothing burned due to Ella’s magic. “If the Fae Royals have given their gift of elixir, then she would have the ability to be granted my power. The next trial will be mine to judge as well. I will be there.”

“Thank you.” And with this, the Fae and Dragons would officially give their blessings. Ella couldn’t wait. Her prediction was coming true. It was a boon that Sakura’s own kingdom didn’t recognize their loss, but it would be too late when they found out. The day she waited decades for was coming…

Was she granting Sakura’s wish or was Sakura granting hers?

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**AUTHOR NOTE:**

YO!!! EPIC NOTE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER: 

First, this had no smut but no fear! The next chap is all out fun (and kind of like a r18 filler episode to follow the great tradition of Naruto’s filler episodes hahaha). Because of how long this chapter was, the next chapter will be devoted to Castle Route scenes and maybe the first step or hint into Naruto’s Dream World. So the chapter numbers will be pushed back as follows: 

**Chapter:**  
10 — Castle Routes Mostly. Also will last a few “days” as Sakura gets closer to Neji and rest of company. With only 3 dreams remaining, the spell will hint at replenishing her energies and train a bit more/study as there is something great to face as her final trial. So she will be going around the Castle and you know what that means.   
11 — Naruto’s Dream World.  
12 — Madara/Tobi’s Dream World.  
13— Minato’s Dream World.  
14/15 depending—The Finale.

Hope you don’t mind! Got carried away. 

On another note…If you want to know what inspired my mood — when you read Hinata’s scene at the end, play pirate of the carribbean davy jone lullaby musical box version. Cry away.

Okay, sooooo I was going to add Neji sexy time in this chapter but ran out of energy and couldn’t find timing so made him the closest thing you’ll get to a semi-slow burn in this smutty fairy tale adventure. Wanted to emphasize the soul connection first. Don’t worry Neji fans! He will have his time soon with Sakura (next chapter for sure)! I hope you forgive me. There wasn’t much sexy time in this chapter, but the next chapter focused on Castle routes will be quuuuuite busy so please bear with me!

Now. Thank you to Bellababe42 for her beta reading magic! She has been truly a splendid help with smoothing things out and I am grateful! *Brings out soju* Cheers! 

And as always, please review and have a fairy tale day~!

Abracadabra, Boopededoo,

WitchySkies

P.S. Keto diets are THE FUCKING CURE TO ALL WOES. Holy crap. After the ‘keto flu’, I have energy, my mind is clearer and my appetite shrunk. It’s basically eat whatever has less than 50 net carbs for day and not so much sugar. Plus there’s a substitue for everything! Bread, sweets — the whole thing can be done keto style. I WISH I HAD DONE THIS BEFOREEEEE!

That said, it’s a transition as I’m working graves now so we’ll see what happens in 2 months. My aunt lost so much weight and her dr told her of the diet. I am so excited!

P.S.S. Also, my stomach has stretchmarks so it looks like I have a belly button beard. I should go with 30 net carbs for the day instead LOL (Gimme summer bod pleasssse! And just more energy. Please fairy godmother?!!!) Anyone else got any crazy diet stories?


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